She's Back
by sharangurl
Summary: Ichigo and Renji are cops. When a bank robbery goes terribly wrong, someone ends up getting hurt. An old friend walks back into Ichigo's life and becomes his new partner. Will old feelings resurface or will his past mistakes stop them? IchixRuki!
1. The New Partner

**Ok so this is my first fanfic ever! Renji and Ichigo are basically cops, and Rukia will enter later on! Hope you enjoy!**

Ch.1 New Partner

"Shit! How many people are in there?" screamed Renji, while swerving through the busy streets in the cop car.

Police sirens blared and were all headed towards the local bank. What looked to be a normal Sunday afternoon turned out to be an eventful day at the Karakura Bank. Just as Renji and Ichigo settled down to have lunch, they got the message that a robbery was occurring at the bank. They reluctantly dashed out of the diner and hopped in to their police car.

"It's Sunday so there probably aren't a lot of people there. Hey! Watch it, your gonna kill someone!" screamed the orange-headed partner. Renji was in the driver's seat trying to get to the bank to nail the robber as soon as possible.

"They should know that when you hear police sirens, you move out of the way!" snapped back Renji, clearly annoyed on having his lunch interrupted.

As their cop car stopped, the two officers with bright hair, jumped out of the car and sped towards the bank. They each gave a nod and stood on opposite sides of the building. All of a sudden, the bank doors busted open and a man walked out. Judging from his attire, which was a black ski mask, and clothes to match, the money bag & gun was the dead giveaway that he was the bank robber. From what you could see of his face, his expression clearly showed surprise.

"Freeze!" yelled Renji, causing the criminal to stop in the doorway and point his gun towards him. Renji slowly walked towards the criminal from the left, while Ichigo crept up on the right, going unnoticed.

The robber did something no one expected, he bent over and let out a roar of laughter. "Ha Ha Ha...When did the circus roll into town?" he asked between fits of laughter, clearly amused by the officers red hair.

Ichigo tried to hold in his own laughter, even though he was one to talk with his bright orange hair. He remained still and held his gun pointed towards the thief in case something went wrong.

"Very funny! More cops are on the way, just put the gun and money down and put your hands behind your head!" commanded Renji, clearly annoyed with the thief's reaction.

"Do you think I'm stupid?! You'll have me serving life as soon as I give up! Step off, and no one has to get hurt!" the robber yelled pointing the gun straight at the red-haired cop.

"If you give up now, the charges will be less harsh, I'll make sure of it," tried to reason Renji.

More cop cars pulled in along the perimeter of the bank, with more on the way. Ichigo knew the robber was getting scared from his body language, he was holding the money bag close to himself, and his hands were shaking. Not good, this usually meant the person was either going to do something stupid, or fall to his knees and put his hands behind his head, usually it was the latter of the two. Out of the corner of Ichigo's eye he saw someone moving up behind the robber, he could see it was the security guard. 'Oh no, something stupid is gonna happen' thought Ichigo.

The thief saw the security guard and turned the gun on her, Ichigo instinctively yelled "Stop!" frightening the thief more.

The bank robber turned to Renji and said,"You were tricking me! I knew I couldn't trust you" and pointed the gun back at Renji, shaking all the more.  
Ichigo knew that was the spark to set off the robber, he ran straight towards the robber to pin him down before he did something stupid. Just as Ichigo reached the thief and started to pull him to the ground, a gunshot rang out into the air. 'Renji!' was his first thought. The next few minutes were a blur, but all Ichigo remembered was handcuffing the criminal and then hearing a lot of shouting and cops surrounding him and the perp. There was a huge crowd around Renji, and his worst fear was realized.

Renji was shot.

* * *

The ambulance immediately came and drove Renji to the hospital to get medical care. Ichigo, the Chief, and numerous police officers who knew Renji were all seated in the waiting room to hear the results. The Chief had Ichigo sit down after the tiring day. The carrot-top sat down in the uncomfortable chairs, and put his head in his hands. He was deep in thought until he saw two feet stop in front of him. He slowly followed the legs up the body to the head, only to realize it was the security guard from earlier. She had short black hair, and a tomboyish look to her.

"Hey, the Chief told me your that red-head's partner. My name's Tatsuki," she solemnly replied.

"And you're that security guard. My name's Ichigo. That was quite a stunt you pulled today, usually those situations are left to the cops," Ichigo replied in a tired tone.

"I just saw an opening and decided to go for it, Sorry" she apologized.

"Don't be, you were pretty brave back there."

"Yea well it didn't do any good. Hey...would you give him a message from me?" she asked

"Don't tell me your scared _now_. Go tell him yourself. Don't worry he doesn't bite," he replied, smirking as he said the last part.

"I'm not scared! It's just...I got him shot and all. He probably doesn't want to see me right now," she replied, looking  
extremely guilty.

"Hey, no worries, he ain't like that. If it was anyone's fault it was mine," he replied taking on his own guilty expression.

Tatsuki opened her mouth to offer some comfort when the doctor came out. The Chief and Ichigo immediately went to the doctor to hear the results. She took them aside and began to give them the long awaited results.

"Hi, I'm Retsu Unohana, I just checked out Officer Renji. He has a bullet wound to the lower leg. The wound is clean and we got the whole thing out. It didn't hit any major arteries so it isn't that serious but still he has a long road to recovery. He should be up and walking in about a month or so. Make sure he doesn't put pressure on the leg, and comes in every week so we can monitor the wound and make sure no infections arise. He's awake now so you may go in and see him."

"Thank you doctor," replied Ichigo, relief soaking through his body.

Ichigo found out which room Renji was in and signaled for Tatsuki to follow him. They both slowly walked towards the room, not knowing what to expect.

Renji was lying down on the hospital bed with his hands behind his head, as the nurse was placing a pillow under his left leg. She looked up giving them a smile, and walked out of the room to give them some time alone.

A devious thought entered Ichigo's head as he slowly crept up on Renji, and put his face directly above the red-head's. Renji sensing something, slowly opened his eyes to see bright orange hair and ichigo less than a foot away from his face. He let a loud yell and pushed the carrot-top's face away!

"God you weren't happy with me nearly dying from getting shot, you had to scare me to death with your hair too!" he yelled  
at Ichigo. Ichigo's face immediately took on an annoyed demeanor and the frown returned to his face. Tatsuki let out a chuckle and everyone's attention averted to her. Renji immediately sat up and tried to put his hair in place.

"Wanna warn me next time, so I can look good for the ladies?" Renji whispered to Ichigo.

"Look good? You always look like this no matter what," Ichigo retorted, causing Tatsuki to let out another chuckle.

"Did you want anything else Ichigo, or did you just come to kick a man while he's down?" Renji asked.

"No, I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you weren't terrorizing the poor nurses. I gotta get back to the station and fill up the reports," just as Ichigo turned to leave, he remembered Tatsuki, "Oh yeah, this is Tatsuki, she was the security guard that tried to take the robber down earlier. I'll see you later, try not to scare her too much." Renji picked up a pillow by his bedside and threw it in the direction of Ichigo but it missed, much to his chagrin. Ichigo's laughter rang out in the hallway after seeing Renji's distressed state.

"Yeah, sorry about him, " Renji apologized, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh don't be, I've hung out around enough guys to know. I should be the one apologi-"

"Get out!" Renji yelled, causing her head to shoot up in confusion.

"What?!" she asked.

"If you're gonna apologize to me for something as stupid as trying to save people's lives, stop," he replied.

"But, I got you shot, it's only right that I apologize."

"Hey, that was my fault, I should have been more alert," he replied, then with a big smirk he said, "if you really want to apologize, fluff my pillow for me."

She was caught of guard for a second, but she smiled from his antics and did as was requested.

* * *

Back at the station, Ichigo and Renji were waiting to talk to the Chief about who Ichigo's new partner would be. Renji was sitting on his desk, with a pair of crutches leaning against the table. Ichigo was sitting in his chair with his head propped up on his hand. Chief Yoruichi was currently yelling at one of the officers for leaving out important details out of a police report. She was one of the only females to the position of Chief of Police, but she worked extremely hard to get to her position. Her whole family had been known to be involved in justice. She also had one of the fastest shots in the precinct, maybe the world. People said she could shoot a coin three times before it fell to the floor, the officers named her "the Goddess of Flash."

Her door opened and an officer with his head hung low could be seen leaving. She appeared in the doorway and signaled for Renji and Ichigo to join her in her office. She sat behind her desk, with her purple hair tied up in a ponytail, looking regal as ever. As they took their seats in front of her desk, her golden eyes followed them carefully, making them a little nervous.

"I've been informed on your gunshot wound, and I have come to the decision that you will be off duty for a month, depending on how fast you heal, maybe more," she started staring at Renji.

"Maybe more, I'd think you'd have a little bit more faith in me. I'll be up and walking in less than a month," he shot back, not liking the idea of being off of work for more than a month.

"Yeah, seriously, he's weak, but he'll be recovered in a week," Ichigo added, not liking the idea of having no partner for a month or more.

"Look, you both know your the two of the best officers I have. I am not about to let you screw up your recovery for your pride, or jeopardize other lives," she said.

"Wow Chief, the best? I always knew you cared about us," Renji teased.

"Shut up before one of my best dies in a freak accident," Yoruichi said threateningly.

"Fine, but I don't want rookie missions, I handle a month without a partner Chief," Ichigo said.

"What did I just say?! I'm not letting your pride get the best of you both. We're getting a new recruit from one of the best squads I know, I'll be partnering you up with her," she replied, giving Ichigo a glare that would make anyone else tremble in their seats.

"_HER_! You're partnering me up with a girl? No offense, but I don't want to be partnered up with drama, no matter how good she is," Ichigo refuted.

"Too bad! You _are_ going to have a partner. I don't know about you, but I'm not about to have one of my best officers get himself killed for being stupid. She's flying in as we speak, and you two are gonna pick her up at 5 o'clock sharp! End of conversation! Now go!" she yelled with a tone that meant 'don't mess with me!'

They both shot out of their seats and started to leave until a thought hit Renji, and he turned around and asked, "Wait, what's her name? How do we know who to pick up?"

"There's a sign on your desk, just hold it up and she'll know, now GET OUT!" she yelled.

* * *

Renji got out of there as fast as they could and Ichigo shut the door. Both of them knew the Chief well enough to know that when she uses that tone, she's had enough. The two officers gave each other suspicious glares, knowing something was up because she refused to tell them who their partner was. Whoever this new recruit was, it was probably someone that was going to be bad news. Ichigo walked over to his desk and just like she said there would be, there was a sign that read "New recruit for police force. Welcome back!" The last statement confused them, welcome back?

They pulled into the airport and waited inside, holding up the sign. Since Renji was injured, Ichigo was forced to hold up the sign. He felt extremely stupid holding up the vague sign, it was like holding a billboard that said "LOOK AT ME!" in addition to his orange hair. The corner of the sign had a cartoon drawn on it, it was either a cat or a rabbit. It looked very familiar, he just couldn't quite place it. Yoruichi was not known for her drawing skills, Renji thought it looked like a cat.

"I don't know about you but I'm sort of excited, and scared shitless at the same time," Renji voiced keeping a constant lookout for anyone.

"I know what you mean, I'm more nervous, considering all the secrecy. Yoruichi has a reason for everything and her keeping this person's identity a surprise can only mean bad news," said the carrot-top.

"Tell me about it. I'm just stuck on the whole welcome back part. Maybe for once she's being nice and surprising us in a good way. What do you think?" he asked. But Ichigo was too caught up in an image he caught a glimpse of. It couldn't be, he was hallucinating, yea, that was it. All the excitement from the past few days was getting to him and starting to make him see things, it couldn't be _her, _she was long gone.

Oh how wrong he was.

"Ichigo? Hey what are you...looking...at? Oh my God!" Renji blinked his eyes a couple of times to make sure what he saw was a reality. A huge smile lit up his face, he never expected _her_ to come back. The red-head's jaw dropped, he felt overjoyed and extremely nervous at the same time. Whatever was to come would either be extremely bad or extremely good depending on how the next few minutes went by. His eyes followed her, looking her up and down, she had changed. A lot! As soon as she was a few feet a way, Renji threw himself at her and caught her in a bear hug, causing her to drop her bags. It had been much too long, and now she was finally back where she belonged. When Renji released her from his grip, he noticed her demeanor was completely different. Quite similar, if not the exact same, as one of her relatives. She gave him a smile, he didn't know if it was genuine or not, but she seemed colder.

Ichigo's reaction was the opposite, his physical self was stoic, but mentally he was raging with confusion. He knew he should be happy, this was his second chance, but he was overcome by too many emotions to make sense of anything. He kept following her with his eyes, still holding up the sign like an idiot. He didn't know if he should be happy or sad, he had spent all these years trying to forget her and give up on her, but now all that went to waste. Slowly a feeling of hope arose, seven years was a long time, maybe she moved on and would have put the past behind her. After reading the sign, her serene face broke out into a frown as soon as her eyes fell on his face. 'Shit!' Ichigo thought, all the hope was crushed, and his blood chilled. She averted her gaze but his never left her body, slowly roving over her and taking in how she had changed.

His trance was broken when Renji, while holding her tight in his arms, whispered her name, "Rukia."

**Rukia is back! Hope it isn't too cheesy! Next chapter will start with the awkward car ride to the police station. Constructive criticism is welcomed so please review! Sorry if the last paragraph was confusing but it was Ichigo's view point of what was going on.**


	2. Car Rides & Spacing Out

**Sorry I took so long, this probably still isn't as up to par as it should be, but I will try to get better. I just want to say thanks to marslily and NC2001 for their awesome reviews! It really inspired me, and made me drive to one up the last chapter.**

Chapter 2: Car Rides & Spacing Out

Ichigo was frozen in his spot as Renji and Rukia exchanged their hello's. Everything happened so quickly, it was like having a bucket of ice cold water dumped on you, and Ichigo was still in shock. Fear overtook him as Rukia began to pick up her dropped bags. Now that she was back in his life again, how were they going to act around each other, would she still hate him? A thousand questions and doubts swirled in his head, then the carrot-top felt a sharp jab in his stomach. He snapped out of his reverie and realized the source of the pain was Renji.

"Get her bags!" Renji hissed in a low whisper.  
Ichigo just kept staring at the red-head like he spoke a completely different language, not understanding what bags he was talking about.  
Frustrated at his partner's stupor Renji indicated to the bags with his eyes and whispered," Get her bags you idiot!"  
Finally everything started to click in Ichigo's brain and he tried to grab for Rukia's bags, but she had already taken ahold of them.

"Let me take your bags," Ichigo said, not meaning to sound so commanding.

"I can take my own bags," she said, with eyes narrowed. Rukia never did like being told what to do.

"I never said you couldn't but I'm the guy here, so let me take 'em," he replied, his voice growing louder by the second.

"I've been carrying my bags for the past few years, I think I handle carrying it to your car!" she retorted, clearly outraged.

"I'm just trying to be a gentleman! Now give me your friggin bags!" Ichigo yelled, starting to cause a scene. He tried to grab for her bags again but she jumped out of his reach, dead-set on not letting him win and get her luggage.

"Will you guys shut it! I can't believe you guys are twenty-three. Rukia just give him your bags before the security guards have to escort you guys out of here!" Renji yelled, scaring them both into doing as he told them to.

Rukia reluctantly turned her bags over to Ichigo. He noticed how she took great care in not letting her hands touch his own in the exchange. He grew morose at the thought that she was still angry at him for what transpired between them seven years back. Renji escorted her back to their car. Ichigo carefully placed her luggage into the trunk of the car and went around to the driver's seat and got in. As Rukia reached for the back door to get in, as she opened it Renji popped into the back seat before she could, giving her a wide grin. He propped his leg up on the seat so he ended up occupying the whole back, and set his crutches down.

"Thanks for opening the door Rukia! You're gonna have to sit up front since I need space to keep my crutches somewhere," he explained, very much to her dismay.

"Your welcome," she said through gritted teeth. The last place she wanted to be in was right next to the source of all her problems, Ichigo Kurosaki.

She took a seat beside Ichigo in the passenger side, staying as far away from him as possible like he was her kryptonite. Ichigo's heart immediately sped up, feeling ill at ease. He hadn't been this close to her in a while, but he had no idea why that should bother him. 'It's just for a month. She's only gonna be there for a month,' he kept repeating in his mind. At the same time he hoped it would be enough time to make up for his past mistake. Ichigo applied pressure to the gas pedal and they were off towards the police station. Awkward silence filled the car until Renji decided to talk, and he and Rukia began to converse. At first, all she gave was one word responses, until they began to be more comfortable with each other's presence and they were talking like nothing ever changed. Ichigo was silent since the drive began and felt, to his surprise, jealous. He envied how Renji was able to talk with Rukia like they were best friends again. Although Ichigo spent the last seven years convincing himself to forget her, Rukia used to be his best friend too, and that was something he just couldn't let go of.

In the middle of the ride, Renji said he needed to use the bathroom, the bottle of pepsi he drank had finally caught up with him. Rukia let out a few chuckles as Renji stumbled out of the car and made his way to the fast-food restaurant's bathroom. Empty silence dominated the car, as Ichigo and Rukia were left by themselves, each looking in a completely different direction. Ichigo drummed his fingers on the steering wheel out of nervousness.

"Could you please stop that," Rukia requested, growing annoyed with the noise.

"Sorry," Ichgo responded, stopping his fingers. Without anything to distract him, he was left to his thoughts. Maybe she wasn't really angry with him, it could have been jet lag. Perhaps she had forgiven him for his past choices. Trying to find something to talk about, he decided to go for small talk and ask how she was doing.

"So how have you been, Rukia?" he asked, slightly pausing before saying her name. It sounded so foreign on his tongue after not saying it for the past few years.

"Fine," she said, her voice laced with disdain towards him. 'Shit!' he thought; she still hated him. Ichigo was struggling to strike up any kind of conversation in order to make the situation less awkward. He sifted through questions that would provide better results this time, finally he decided to go with one question he had been yearning to ask for a while.

"So how did you get into law enforcement? I thought you wanted to be an artist?" he asked, with genuine curiousity.  
Her body stiffened at the question and she responded with venom coating her every word, "people change Ichigo, remember?"

_"Ichigo I don't believe you!" Rukia screamed, her eyes started sting, but she tried her hardest to stay strong._

_"Rukia, will you just go, already? I don't want to make this harder than it should be," he replied back in the calmest tone he could muster up. In his heart, he knew he had to do this, for her sake._

_"But why? I just don't understand," she said back, truly confused at the turn of events, tears threatening to spill._

_"Look...it's just that...people change Rukia! I just don't love you anymore!" Ichigo yelled back, aggravated with himself more than anyone else. He knew she would hate him, but this was what had to be done. If this was the only way to make her go, he had to do everything to push her away. Ichigo could barely look at her face, fearing she'd see the truth in his eyes._

_"I see...i guess i was a fool then, goodbye," she softly whispered. Rukia turned and ran, with tears streaming down her face. She hated herself for actually believing he loved her._

_With her last words, Ichigo felt a painful clench in his chest, not knowing if he could bare the thought of being the source of her anguish._**  
**

Tension filled the air, as he remembered that he said the same thing to her a long time back. 'So she still remembers, huh? Great.' He noticed her hands were clenched tight as if she were in pain, and he looked out his window, not wanting to make her suffer more. Just then Renji came back, and the mood lightened considerably as he began to converse with Rukia again. Ichigo remained silent as a stone for the rest of the ride. He began to curse Yoruichi in his head, not knowing what she was thinking when she paired them both together.

* * *

Renji and Ichigo found themselves waiting outside of Yoruichi's office again, as Rukia was in there being briefed. As the two officers took their positions at their desks, they both stared in wonder through one of the office windows where Rukia was standing. She had changed a lot. Her hair was slightly longer, and in a high ponytail, showing off her sculpted cheekbones. Her eyes were the same as ever, sapphire, but somehow it seemed as if they had lost their glow. Her attire was very clean-cut, she looked like a business woman more than a cop. The most surprising was her height, she had grown quite a bit, almost reaching Ichigo's shoulder now, whereas before she barely reached his chest.

"I had a hard time recognizing her, the only reason I knew it was her was because of her eyes," Renji stated.

"Yeah, she certainly isn't the little Rukia we knew," Ichigo replied.

"No...She certainly isn't. She's...she's a...woman!" Renji exclaimed, having hard time taking the new Rukia in.

"Yeah Renji, that's usually what happens to a girl. They go from baby, to girl, to woman. Next, she'll be an old..."

"I know! I'm just saying, I never thought she'd, i dunno, fill out?" he said, cutting Ichigo off.

"You perv! She might be taller, but she is still short as hell," said Ichigo.

"Hey, did you notice something different about Rukia? Not physically but in her behavior," asked the red-head.

"I was thinking the same thing. Did you see the way she looked us. She hates us!" stated Ichigo.

"Hey! She hates you okay?" Renji blurted out faster than he could think about it. Ichigo grew morose, knowing what his partner said was true. The only one Rukia seemed put off with was himself.

"Sorry that was uncalled for, she probably has jet lag or something," reassured Renji.

"No I deserved that. It's my fault, and I'm sorry you guys stopped talking because of me," apologized Ichigo. After that day, Rukia quickly got her things together and left, not saying goodbye to anyone, including her long time best friend, Renji.

"Stop being so dramatic, sometimes I think you're a chick. It's all done and said for, go apologize to her if you have to," Renji said, not wanting to dredge the past.

"Shit!" the carrot-top said.

"What?" Renji asked, raising one eyebrow at his partner.

"It just hit me! She's gonna be my partner!" exclaimed Ichigo, his level of anxiety increasing by tenfold.

"Uh...yea...what were you thinking about the whole car ride," retorted Renji, surprised by his partner's idiocy.

"I dunno! I mean, did you see the way she looked at me?! I'm afraid she'll kill me before this job does!" yelled Ichigo, trembling at the thought of being left alone with Rukia. Correction, Rukia with a gun.

"What are you two girls gossiping about? Get your asses in here already!" Yoruichi interrupted, disappearing into her office. She took a seat in the huge leather chair behind her mahogany desk. Rukia rose from her seat in front of Yoruichi and made her way out of the office. Sparing a quick glance and smile towards Renji. The two male officers stood in front of the Chief and listened intently.

"Ok so hopefully by now, everyone has been reacquainted with each other. I have already explained to Rukia that her current situation is temporary, and after Abarai is well enough, she will be reassigned a new partner. Currently, I have sent her off to settle down and unpack. I know everything was very out of the blue and I apologize for that, but as you both know crime doesn't wait. There have been a series of murders that have taken place in Karakura for the past few months, you both have already handled one of the cases. Each incident involves brutal murders and missing organs. Countless eye witnesses all claim to have seen the murderers running away from the scene with a mask on. At each site, it is assumed that the very same odd mask is left on the victim's face. Kurosaki you will partner up with Rukia in order to solve this case. Abarai you will be in charge of paperwork while you are out of action. Understood?" she explained in her most serious business voice.

"Well I get all that, but why is Rukia partnered up with me? And why is she here in the first place?" Ichigo enquired.

"It is in my opinion that she is more than qualified for this job, so I don't want to hear about anyone giving her a hard time because some of her relatives hold high positions. She is one of the best officers this line of work has ever seen, and she has solved every case she's been on. Rukia has personally requested to be transferred here in order to solve this case. That is all I will reveal to you for this moment in respect towards officer Kuchiki. If she wishes to explain to you more, that is her choice. I have placed the case files on each of your desks," answered Yoruichi.

Just as the two officers turned to leave, the Chief added one more detail in, "Oh by the way Ichigo, Rukia will be sharing you desk until we can get another desk put in place. That is all."

Ichigo growled to himself, deeply frustrated with is current predicament. Relief engulfed him when Rukia was nowhere in sight. He remembered the Chief mentioning something about settling down. While Renji walked off towards the water cooler, Ichigo walked towards his desk and started to absentmindedly shuffle through his papers, while in deep thought. He started to go through scenarios of different disasters that would occur the next day. Each scenario produced worse and worse results overwhelming the orange haired officer. He slumped down in his seat and dragged his fingers through his hair. He was so perplexed by how one single person could change everything, but mostly, all his feelings of regret washed over him with renewed vigor. He slumped over with his hands on his knees and shut his eyes, trying to get his feelings in check. A faint murmur could be heard in the background, but Ichigo decided to ignore it. The noise got louder and louder until something smacked him on the back of his head extremely hard.

He let out a loud, "FUCK!" while cradling the back of his head with two hands. When he looked up, Ichigo was greeted with the image of his previous partner, Renji, holding his crutch like a weapon in mid-air and balancing on one leg.

"Finally, where have you been? We gotta get going soon, so hurry up, you gotta drop me off at my house," Renji said, annoyed at his partners newly obtained habit of spacing out.

"Oh, right, sorry. I was just thinking about...never mind, let's just go," Ichigo replied, just wanting to forget about work and a certain raven haired female for a while.

**Yay! Ta da! Ok so some people might be a little OC but I will try to stay in character. The next chapter will probably talk a little more about Rukia and how she feels, as well as Ichigo's.  
PLEASE REVIEW!! Criticism is once again welcomed, and I will try to utilize it to the best of my ability.**


	3. Settling In

**I actually got done with this third chapter quickly. The beginning is mainly a Rukia POV of sorts, then it gets back to the story and introduces a new character. Hope you enjoy, and thanks to the reviewers. Once again, it really did inspire me, and it's nice to know you enjoy reading this.**

Ch. 3 Settling In

Rukia caught a ride in a taxi, traveling away from the station, reminiscing about the good old days. Seven years was a long time to be away from home, especially her first home. She had lived the first half of her life as an orphan, not knowing who her real family was or where she came from. Although she had no clue who her biological family was, she certainly knew who her true family was. The orphanage actually held some of the best moments of her life, and she found a family in there. The owner, Ukitake Jushiro, had been a father figure to her. It was in that same orphanage where she met Renji, he became Rukia's brother and her best friend. Even with her close orphanage family, times were still rough, there would always be the occasional bullies. Renji and her stuck it out and grew tougher, learning how to protect themselves and those they loved.

Rukia remembered the first time she came across Ichigo when they were nine. The reason for their meeting was unfortunate, nevertheless it created a tight bond that she never thought would be broken, clearly she was wrong.

_It was very rainy and cold that day. She and Renji were running home after doing some errands for Ukitake, when they heard a loud crash. Renji tugged at Rukia's hand to continue on their course, but Rukia felt a strong urge to take a detour and find out the cause of the noise. As she turned back and ran around the corner she stiffened at the sight she beheld. Renji having no choice, followed her and was greeted with the scene of a car accident. The heavy rain carried traces of blood flowing everywhere and down into the sewage. Tears filled Rukia's eyes as she took everything in. There was a beautiful woman lying on the street, with the most stunning copper hair. Blood was trickling out of her mouth and coating the wet pavement. There was a car with a shattered front window that had stopped behind her. Beside her, lying on his knees and trying to wake her from her eternal slumber, was a small boy in a bright yellow raincoat. The beautiful woman, his mother, had died from getting hit by a car in order to save her child._

_Rukia's heart broke at the depressing and disheartening sight. Instinctively acting, she ran to the boy's side and kneeled down by him. Hesitantly, Rukia reached out and laid one hand on his small shoulder which shook with the vibrations of his sobs. Rukia's eyes widened as the boy in the yellow raincoat turned to her and threw himself at her, burying his face in the front of her own raincoat. The shock settled down and compassion gave her eyes a gentle glow, as she wrapped her arms around the poor soul, and helped him muffle his sobs in her chest. After he had stopped crying, she grabbed both his shoulders and pulled him up to a standing position and then guided him towards Renji. Not knowing what to do, they decided to take the boy with them, hoping Ukitake would know what to do. They walked in silence, by the time they came to the orphanage, the moon was already out. They could see Ukitake's worried face in one of the window's. As soon as he saw them, he ran downstairs and held the doors open for them, curious as to who the third unknown child was._

_Rukia was the first to speak up, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice, "Ukitake, we found this kid at a car accident. I think...his mother may have..." she took a long gulp, hesitating to say the words aloud, but the older man realized what had happened._

_"I see, I will call the cops and let them know," replied Ukitake, disappearing upstairs to his office to call the police._

_Renji decided they should all wait in the play room at the orphanage to try and take the boy's mind off of the accident. The rest of the orphans were already asleep, so the three children were left alone in the play room._

_"Oh by the way, I'm Rukia, and this is Renji, what's your name?" Rukia asked, now getting a good look at the boy without his hood on. She thought he was younger but upon closer inspection he seemed to be her age, he was slightly taller than her. He had the brightest hair she had ever seen, it could compete with any orange. His eyes were completely different story, they were a deep ocher, and caused something to tingle in the pit of her stomach when he averted his eyes to meet hers._

_"I'm Ichigo...Ichigo Kurosaki," he said, then he sat down in a corner of the room with his legs pulled up to his chest. He was clearly dejected, and Renji not knowing what to do went off in search of Ukitake._

_Rukia stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, desperately trying to find something to cheer him up with. Just then she remembered she had some candy in her pockets, she dug deep down and pulled out a strawberry lollipop, she was saving it but decided Ichigo needed it more. She sat down beside him with her back supported against the wall, and offered the lollipop to him. He looked at her like she was crazy and then hid his face in his hands. Rukia was terrified by his reaction thinking she did something wrong then heard him murmur, "mom." The sadness in his voice was unbearable, so she put one arm around him trying to soothe him._

_"Shhhh... it's ok. I don't have a mom or dad either. Renji and Ukitake are my family now, I'm sure you can be part of it too," she said, trying to give him any kind of hope._

_He raised his head towards her and a faint smile appeared,"I have a dad, but thanks...It's all my fault she's gone now..." he trailed off._

_"No it wasn't. Things just happen, at least you had a mom and got to spend time with her. Anyway you still have your dad, and if you'd like... we can still be friends," Rukia replied, offering the lollipop again with a blush gracing her cheeks. It saddened her to think he would be going off to his family, and desperately wanted to see him again. There was something about Ichigo that caused her to feel something she had never felt before, but all she knew was that he made her stomach do cartwheels with one look._

_"Thanks, and I'd really like to be your friend," Ichigo replied, his face lighting up at the thought of being able to see this girl again. He accepted the lollipop with gratitude. There was something about her that put his world at ease._

_"By the way," Rukia began sheepishly,"your hair is weird! Is it real?"_

_Ichigo's face turned extremely red, outdoing even Renji's hair. "Of course it's real, midget!" he yelled, taking back his previous thoughts about her. _

_"Midget?! You're barely an inch taller than me!" she yelled back, taking back the lollipop from him. To think she was going to let him have the strawberry flavored lollipop, her favorite. She smirked when his expression changed to one of shock, and he tried to grab for it, but she was too quick and popped it into her mouth in the blink of an eye._

Rukia snapped out of her nostalgia. To her surprise she found she had gotten teary eyed and a smile was present on her face. She wiped at the unshed tears and concentrated on her surroundings and how Karakura had changed, yet stayed the same. Although some buildings had changed and new restaurants were up, the vibe had remained the exact same. For the first time since her old partner Kaien, she felt a sense of home. The taxi cab stopped outside her new apartment, she grabbed her bags and made her way up to the top floor. To her dismay there was no elevator. It was taking her longer than she wanted to since she had to take a break every few feet, as she was lugging her bags up, she came across a man with piercing blue eyes and icy blue hair to match. 'What an odd combo,' she thought. He looked extremely familiar, but all she could think of was the weird stare he gave her. He made his way down the stairs and she could hear a faint murmuring coming from the entrance, then heard the click of the door. Then her heart quickened along with her pace up the stairs, as she heard footsteps come closer and closer to her. The sound of the footsteps ceased, and she stopped for a few seconds before the last flight of stairs and tried to get a better grip on her luggage.

"Need help?," a husky voice asked, causing her to yelp and drop her handbag. The man with icy blue hair was behind her and had a smirk plastered on his face.

"Uhhh...no it's-" she was saying but he already grabbed her suitcase and another bag before she could get another word in. He gave her a charming smile and a wink. Rukia was flustered by the man's arrogance but charmed at the same, of course she didn't let any of her emotions appear on her face.

"Which way to your apartment?" he asked, pausing at the top of the stairs.

"Um...I actually don't know, but it's number 309," she said.

"Oh, well then nice to meet you. I'm right across the hall from you," the man said, his eyes taking on an unknown glow. If Rukia didn't know any better, she'd say he was happy to know she was across the hall from him.

They made their way to her crisp white door, with 309 painted on. "Here you go,"he said "I guess I will see you tomorrow, Goodnight." He put her bags down and unlocked the door to his apartment shutting it with that same smirk on his face. Then she remembered where she saw the man before, he was in the police station. He was a another police officer as she remembered he was wearing police attire.

"Goodnight," Rukia whispered to no one in particular, taking a minute to absorb everything and then took out the key to unlock her door.

She dragged her bags in and then shut the door behind her. 'What is it with mysterious men with strange hair in this town anyway?' she thought to herself. She got a good deal on the apartment, it was already furnished, and from the looks of it, the previous owner had good taste. Everything was simple yet elegant. The walls remained a clean white, there was a beautiful oak dining table. She grabbed some sheets from her suitcase and made her way to her bedroom, along with her toiletries. She spread the sheets across the mattress in her room, then went into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and began to brush her teeth, all the while gladly thinking of the man next door instead of Ichigo. He was good looking, besides his blue hair, but Rukia didn't like him that way. Goosebumps rose along her skin as she remembered the way he stared at her, thought she didn't know if it was good or bad vibe. She splashed some water on her face to cool herself down, then went towards her bed again. She turned out the lights, let her hair down, then slipped under the welcoming covers of her bed. It held a familiar and soothing smell she always loved, it smelled like strawberries. She drifted off into unconsciousness and dreamed of being a little girl again in Karakura town.

* * *

Ichigo woke up the next day with a crick in his neck. 'That can't be a good sign,' he thought to himself. He slowly pulled himself off the bed and made his way to the bathroom to get ready. The hot water from the shower eased the tension in his muscles. He had been up all night, tossing and turning, worrying about how working with Rukia would turn out. He only managed to make her angry whenever he spoke. He got out of the shower and started to pull his clothes on. As Ichigo started to button up his shirt, he decided that he would talk to Rukia only when necessary to minimize the damage he could create by talking. He needed to get on good terms with her, he had to rise before he could run. Ichigo grabbed the keys to his 1970's Ford Mustang, it was his prize possession. When he found it, the car was a complete mess, but in his spare time he changed out the engine and fixed it up. It wasn't a Ferrari but knowing that he fixed it up to be what it was, he felt pretty damn proud of the Mustang. Ichigo got into the car and drove off, all the while perspiring from the thought of what would greet him at work.

* * *

Rukia was running a little late, which she never did. She blamed it on her amazing dream. In it she was a little girl and sneaking around with Renji all over town, she missed her childhood when she was worry free. She had a lot more life back then and a lot less work. She grabbed a hair tie, deciding to put her hair up in the taxi cab, and grabbed the keys to the apartment. As soon as she opened the door she was greeted by the strange man next door with his hand fisted in mid-air and ready to knock on her door.

"Morning. I was just wondering if you needed a ride to work," he said, looking at her with that same smile and hopeful eyes.

"Well, I was gonna take a cab, but if it's no bother to you I wouldn't mind getting a ride," she replied, locking her door.

"No problem at all, plus it wouldn't hurt to have the company," he said, making his way down the stairs.

She followed him down to his car. He went around and held the door of his black Jaguar XK open for her.'Who is he?' she asked herself, surprised by the car. He must have noticed something was wrong from her expression, "Is something wrong, Rukia?"

"Oh sorry, it's just you car...it's...expensive," she replied. How exactly does a cop manage to afford a Jaguar. She made her way to him and slipped into the passenger seat. The leather still looked brand new. He made his way to the other side and got in.

"It _was_ expensive. I had some money left over, so I decided to indulge," he replied, turning the key in the ignition.

"You just happened to have seventy grand put away? And how did you know who I was?" she enquired. He raised his eyebrow at her, taken aback by her curiosity.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be so intrusive, it's just I don't even know your name," she replied. He was being kind enough to drive her to work, and she was being rude to him.

"I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. My dad made a lot of money in the alcohol business, and I inherited it. And don't be so surprised that I know who you are, the whole department knows. The Chief wouldn't tell anyone so it would be a surprise, she only told us at the end of the day," Grimmjow replied.

"Oh, sorry. I should be thanking you for taking me to work today, it's just that I'm not really looking forward to it, and I'm really sorry again if I was taking it out on you," she apologized. 'Stupid Ichigo,' she thought. Even when he wasn't with her, he drove her crazy.

"I thought you requested to be transferred here. Why so reluctant to show up? If it's cuz of your new partner, don't worry, his face and hair might scare you, but he's one of the best," he assured her, turning his head and giving her the biggest grin. He reminded her of a child for some reason.

She let out a chuckle at his last statement. "Don't worry I'm not scared by his hair. After all, I can stand yours, can't I?," she replied cracking up again.

"Ouch, that hurt right here Rukia," he said, taking one hand of the wheel and placing it over his heart. "It's been a while since I've met my match at a verbal spar."

"Same here," she sighed, remembering a certain orange haired cop. She decided that Grimmjow was ok with her, despite the previous odd vibes she got from him. She was relieved to know that there was someone she could go and talk to if she needed to. Rukia started to gather her hair up in a ponytail, while one uncooperative strand fell loosely against her face.

"You should keep your hair down, you look prettier," he said, giving her a quick look. Rukia felt her cheeks heat up, letting her hair down, and gave him a questioning look. He was a complete mystery to her.

He took it the wrong way thinking she was offended, "I mean you always look beautiful. It's just that...I mean...your hair-" and then he was cut off by Rukia's laughter. He joined in, amused by how he reacted to her. "You don't even have to say anything and I lose the spar."

"What can I say, I just have that affect on people," she said after calming down. They talked like they were old friends for the rest of the ride. Although the odd vibes never quite dissipated for Rukia, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

* * *

Ichigo walked towards his desk and put the three coffees down. He handed one to Renji, and saved one for Rukia, deciding it would be the a nice stepping stone to get on her good side. Renji sat down with a growl, clearly put off with all the paperwork piled on his desk. It was going to be a long day for him. Ichigo was slightly cranky already from the soreness in his neck. He had a hard time turning his neck while driving. Just then the doors to the station opened and he heard something he thought he would never hear again. The sound of Rukia's laughter. It was distinct, and he could spot it in a crowd. It almost sounded like bells in a way. He snapped his head in her direction to look at what the source of her laughter was, when a sharp pain shot into his neck.

"Damnit!" he hissed, as the crick in his neck acted up. Then he saw her walking alongside another officer named Grimmjow. Jaegerjaques never gave Ichigo a good feeling. He seemed to be wearing a mask all the time, although not many noticed, Ichigo could read people like him very well. He could see her saying something to him with a genuine smile, and something ignited in Ichigo. He didn't know what, but he felt a strong dislike towards Grimmjow.

Renji who saw the whole scene unfold turned his head to look at Ichigo. The two officers exchanged knowing looks, suspecting that the blue haired cop was up to something. Grimmjow was known to be something of a player to the females. As Rukia turned her head and made eye contact with Ichigo, her laughter dissipated, and her hard demeanor returned.

'_Great_!' he thought. First, a crick in his neck, now stupid Grimmjow was up to something. Oh, and Rukia _still_ held a grudge!

**DRAMA! What could Grimmjow be up to this time? Anyway, now you know a little of Rukia's history. I really enjoyed writing the flashback where she meets Ichigo.  
Please Review! It really does help me and the story to be better.**


	4. First Day

**I am so sorry for the extremely short story! Truth be told, I'm a little unhappy with it. I got a creative spurt and came up with a thousand other storylines, but nada for this! It was killing me, but I think it's starting up again. I forgot to write it in previously that Ichigo and Rukia are temporarily promoted to Detective level. **

Rukia walked over to Ichigo's desk and started to mentally prepare herself for her first day working with him. She made it an unconscious rule to not look him in the eye, fearing what she'd do in response.

Ichigo was so flustered about what he saw, that for a few minutes he completely forgot what he was worrying about. Then he realized that he had to work with Rukia on a mysterious case. He knew it was going to happen, but it felt more real now that it was actually happening. The connection with this case and Rukia was killing him to no end. What was so special about this case that Yoruichi temporarily promoted them to Detective level? Plus, they were told to keep the whole thing hush hush.

Ichigo just stood there like an idiot, hesitating about what he should do first. When it came to Rukia Kuchiki, everything became complicated. It was almost like some chess game, and he had to plan out his steps carefully.

Renji felt the tension in the air grow as all three officers were shoved together in close courters. Rukia and Ichigo who avoided each others eyes at all cost. The awkward exchange of silence between his two friends perturbed him to no end. Finally, getting tired of their pussy footing around, he stomped extremely hard on Ichigo's foot.

"Fuck!" he let out, causing Rukia to turn around and raise an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Uh…I mean…Do you want coffee.? I got the white chocolate mocha you used to like," he blurted out, pointing to her coffee he brought in, as he took a sip from his own. He'd need all the coffee he could get.

"I drink it black now. Thanks but no thanks, I already picked up a coffee with Grimmjow," she replied in a cold tone.

'Of course you did! _Grimmjow_!' the orange haired officer thought. Pictures of Grimmjow with a black eye filled his head. Then he noted another change in Rukia. She drinks her coffee black now? What happened to her? She always had a thing for chocolates and sweet things. Drinking her coffee black only reminded him that the Rukia he knew was gone. He could only feel guilt for what his actions might have put her through to change her in such a drastic way.

Rukia hung her jacket on the back of a chair, and picked up her copy of the case files. Slowly she sifted through the contents of the folder with various pictures and notes. As her eyes roamed over a couple of the pictures depicting scenes from the crime, her eyes glazed over and hardened.

Ichigo was staring at her all the while, knowing the look in her eyes; she was trying to keep her locked up and emotions in check. He knew that Rukia had a personal interest in this case but he still didn't know why. He slowly walked over to the desk, his heartbeat increasing with every step he took. He never felt this nervous in a while, he felt like he was back in highschool when he had to give a speech in front of the class. He picked up his own copy of the information and tried his hardest to concentrate on the papers in his hands, but his eyes kept falling on Rukia.

She looked amazing, with her silky long tresses free from her ponytail, gently falling across her shoulders. It was longer than he remembered it, and her skin was still that pale white. A strong urge came over him to reach out and touch her face, to feel that soft skin under his fingertips. Ichigo shoved his thoughts aside and paid closer attention to the file, wanting to solve this case before another person fell victim.

Rukia could smell the white chocolate mocha as the steam wafted in her direction. The aroma filled her nostrils and the strong urge to drink the coffee overwhelmed her. She hadn't drunk it in a long time, fearing the memories that each sip brought her. She settled for black coffee, slowly losing the urge to indulge herself in the white chocolate concoction, along with life's other pleasures. She lived and breathed her work. Solving crimes and catching the bad guys was the only thing that brought her pleasure now. Deep down, it was also an outlet for her pent up rage and anger. She let the two people she cared most for be taken from her, and she was tired of it. She dedicated even her free time to her work, not wanting others to have to go through the same feeling of losing a loved one. She's lost too many, so as a defense mechanism, she shut the door on her love life.

As she looked over the pictures and documents regarding the killing spree, she felt a familiar stinging sensation in her eyes. She had an inkling of what it could be, but she promised that she'd never let herself shed anymore of those. She did enough of it when she was younger, and she found it never changed anything, so what was the point in crying now. She needed to put an end to these crimes. It was the only way to achieve vindication. When she caught this person, she would personally find that the criminal be sentenced to life in prison, if not execution. She shook away the images of the man she lost to these killings. She shut the folder and looked up to find Ichigo leaning over her copy of the folder.

Rukia never noticed how much Ichigo had changed. Sure his hair was still as bright as ever, but he had grown taller. She was hoping that she would at least come up to his chin with her late growth spurt, but she only reached his shoulder. As much as she hated to think of him as handsome, he really was. He was wearing a white dress shirt and formal trousers. He looked every part the business man. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, as he leaned over his desk and poured his attention over the folder. She let her eyes linger on his face which she noticed had stubble. Her eyes glazed over his body, taking in his ruggedly handsome look. Even with the shirt, she could see his muscular physique.

She knew this was wrong on so many levels. She wasn't supposed to think her partner was attractive, especially not since it was Ichigo. He was supposed to be the enemy, the guy who broke her heart, not her partner. 'Curse you Yoruichi!' she thought. As her eyes glided down to his ass, she caught sight of Renji staring at her. He had a smirk painted on his face and raised an eyebrow at her, clearly amused with what he saw. She could read the statement his face that just screamed, 'What are you doing?'

What was she doing?! She was checking out her new partner, and ex-boyfriend. 'Oh god! Stupid Ichigo!' she thought. It was another reason she hated looking him in the eye. It was one of his most attractive features. Whenever she looked at those ocher marbles, she'd get surprised by the emotion that they held. Ever since she was little, his piercing gaze sent shivers down her spine. It was almost as if he could read her thoughts just by looking at her, and she hated that idea.

"Rukia? Ruuukkiiaa?" Ichigo asked once again. He'd been trying to get her attention for the past few minutes but she still had that glazed over look, like she was deep in thought.

"What?!" she said, jolting into an alert position. Rukia mentally berated herself for letting her mind stray to anywhere besides the case. She had waited for years for these crimes to start up again. They were so close last time, and now she needed to see through with it in respects towards her ex-partner.

"I was just wondering what you thought we should do first," he said.

"Oh, well I was going to go talk to some witnesses first, and make sure we got everything," she replied. She knew that have the time witnesses talked, they were hesitant to get involved, fearing that they would draw the target to themselves.

"Ok, which one should we talk to first?" he asked, slightly annoyed at the prospect of having to go interview witnesses. He always hated that part of the job, he always found the people to be so difficult.

"_We_?" she asked, extremely put off by the idea of traveling with Ichigo alone.

"Yes, we. How exactly do you think your going to get around? I'm not letting you take a taxi everywhere," he replied, already reaching for his car keys.

Rukia let out a brief sigh. If one thing wasn't going to change, it would be his stubbornness. Once he had his mind set, it was final."Fine! I want to see one of the recent witnesses," she responded, looking through the folder to find the exact one, "Hanataro Yamada." She swiftly picked up her jacket, and strode past Ichigo, with him following in tow.

**Sorry I took so long, and it's short chapter too! I promise that the next one will be extra LONG! I just wasn't feeling it this week. I took a little vacation last week from writing, which I found is bad because it's hard for me to get back into it. I'll get started on the next chapter as soon as possible. Hint: there will be some Grimjow/Ichigo tension moment in the next chapter!  
Thanks for everyone's support, and urging me to write. I probably would be too lazy to continue if it wasn't for you guys!  
MERCI BEAUCOUP**!


	5. Interrogations and Lunch

**Ok so this took me longer than I thought it would. I had to research some stuff on sketch artists and cops. Plus, I watched Fractured, but I enjoyed that so small price to pay. Anyway I'll let you get to the reading now, hope you enjoy.**

Ch. 5 Interrogations and Lunch

Ichigo grabbed his jacket with keys in hand.

"You know she was checking you out for a second there," Renji said, just as Ichigo moved past him. He pivoted mid-stride and had shock written all over his face. His eyebrows were scrunched together. His mouth hung slightly opened in the way that a fish out of water does, gasping for air like it was scarce in quantity.

"Excuse me?" he managed to get out, completely taken aback by what the red-head said. "She can barely stand to look at me or even be near me."

"Well, when I looked up, I clearly saw her staring at your derriere," he replied, smirking and moving his eyes from Ichigo's face to his ass in a suggestive manner. "She was really embarrassed when I caught her."

"Yea well, I'll believe it when I see it or any other feeling from her besides hate," he replied, turning back around and heading towards Rukia as she waited by the entrance. Rukia staring at his butt was completely out of the question, let alone her looking him in the eye.

Rukia stood by the door waiting for Ichigo. She noticed Renji was saying something to him, and smirking. A smirking man with bright red hair always meant trouble! She was completely embarrassed about being caught. If he told Ichigo _that_... ugh, she would make Renji pay! As Ichigo continued on his way over, she realized that her heart rate was unusually high. 'What is wrong with me today?' She hadn't felt nervous about being around a guy in years. Not since..._he_ passed away. No, _taken away_ was more accurate. She shoved those thoughts aside as Ichigo walked closer and closer. This was not what she wanted so early in the morning. She was used to working alone by now. The last thing she wanted was to be shoved inside a car beside Ichigo. It was awkward enough when they were together in the presence of others. Now it would be just the two of them, in his car. She started to fidget with her fingers, pretending there was something under her nails. Rukia looked anywhere but straight at him.

Ichigo pushed the door open beside her and moved towards his car. Rukia followed a few steps behind him, looking around, wondering which car was his. She couldn't imagine him in a car like Grimmjow's. Ichigo never cared for fancy things, he liked it simple and down to earth. They headed towards a row of cars, but one caught her eye immediately. She eyed the Ford Mustang, it looked like a model from the 70's probably. It was gorgeous in its own archaic way. She preferred something along the lines of a mini coupe, it had a ton of attitude compacted into a tiny frame. She stood rooted in her spot, entranced by the car's look. It certainly had personality if that made any sense. She then realized that Ichigo was standing with the door to the driver's side opened, ready to get inside. He stood there with one arm on the roof of the car and one hand firmly planted on the door. She could tell he was grinning on the inside from the slight twitch of his mouth.

Ichigo hadn't realized Rukia stopped until he had the door to his car open. She was staring at the mustang with a strange expression. He then recognized the look as admiration. The realization boosted his ego to a new level. People always gave his car a look, usually it was confusion due to how out of place the car was among the others. He called it Zangetsu. One day as he was fixing the car and giving it a new paint job, he found the name under the hood of the car. It was just barely visible, but he could make out that it said Zangetsu. The name fit his sleek black car adorned with a red stripe going down the center. To have Rukia admire his car, it was secretly special. To him, it was as sign that he hadn't screwed up at least one thing. His car was his baby. From the old shabby run down thing it was, he managed to give it life, and what life it had.

"Like it?" he asked. She could hear the arrogance laced in his voice.

"It fits you and your over sized ego perfectly," she replied, short, sweet, and to the point. Well, maybe not sweet.

"Oh c'mon Rukia. You and I both know your eyes were roving all over this baby for a second there," he replied, a slow grin spreading across his face. Banter was a good sign. A _very_ good sign.

"Just shut it and get in Kurosaki," she replied bluntly, in a hurry to end the repartee.

She moved to the passenger side and got in the car. Rukia never did like muscle cars, they were too masculine. She never got why men absolutely fawned over them. Ichigo turned the key in the ignition and the car purred to life. She'd never been in one of these, but the experience wouldn't be forgotten. She could almost feel Ichigo smirk as he put the car into gear and drove out of there. She could feel the reverberations travel from the engine all the way to her body. It almost felt like a rush, or the closest thing to it. Rukia's life wasn't exactly filled with breathtaking, exhilarating moments for the past few years; quite the opposite actually.

"Do you need the address?" she asked, looking through the pages to find it.

"No, that's alright, I already know the place," he replied, keeping his eyes on the road. He remembered Hanataro Yamada from a few years back. He took up a job as an intern at his dad's clinic. He was a very timid man who never got in trouble, always doing as he was told. Ichigo was familiar with the streets he was traveling on. Often he would end up driving Hanataro home after late nights at the clinic.

Rukia started to fidget with her fingers again as the awkward silence set in again. '_Stop_!' she commanded herself as she fisted her hands. Making efficient use of her time, she took out her notepad and started to jot down some notes and questions.

"So why exactly did you want to question this particular person?" he asked.

"His answers were very short and he never mentioned the masks. He didn't seem to mention anything of use, although numerous witnesses described the event in great detail," she replied. This was the longest conversation they held without fighting so far.

"Maybe he just didn't see anything," the carrot top replied. He remembered Hanataro being somewhat absent-minded at times.

"Maybe's aren't good enough. This case is too vital to throw, and I'm going to make double sure of every detail," she stated tersely. Ichigo inwardly grunted, put off by her patronizing tone. They rode the rest of the way in silence, caught up in their own thoughts.

* * *

Rukia could feel the dying hum of the engine as Ichigo pulled into a parking space. Woudn't you know it, his car was exactly like him. It left a lasting impression and wouldn't let you forget it. She took back all the negative thoughts she had towards muscle cars. It was almost like you became part of the car, feeling everything it felt as you drove. For the last half of the ride all her attention was focused on the ride and nothing else. Her mind was cleared of all her worries and inhibitions. She could get used to the Mustang, it was a delightful distraction. Ichigo opened his door and got out.

"Wait!" Rukia replied still seated, with her door open.

"What now?" Ichigo groaned. He leaned down into the opening of his door and peered at Rukia, who still had the same expression on her face.

"Put you jacket on," she commanded, pointing to his jacket that lay draped on the rear seat.

"Why would I want to do that?" he grumbled out, trying not to raise his voice.

"_Because_," she sneered, getting out of the car and Ichigo straightening up to keep his eyes fixed on her,"people get intimidated when they see a man with a gun. Especially if they have bright orange hair." She murmured this last part, which did not go unheard by Ichigo. She shut her door and made her way to the witness's house. Ichigo reluctantly grabbed his jacket, and put it on, making sure to keep his holstered gun out of sight.

Rukia firmly rapped on the door three times. Soft pats on the floor could be heard from behind the door, which was assumed to be footsteps. Then a shadow came across the peephole, and deadbolts started to be unlocked. As the door creaked open, they noticed a man, although he barely looked twenty, his face was grave and stubbly. There were deep bags inset under Hanataro's eyes. Clearly something was wrong.

"Hanataro? What happened to you?" Ichigo asked, worry evident in his voice. The soft glow in Hanataro's eyes was absent, and worry lines adorned his forehead.

"Ichigo! It's been too long. Do come in," he said, opening the door slightly wider so they could enter. As soon as the two officers entered, Hanataro closed the door quickly, and locked all the mechanisms with haste.

Rukia couldn't help but notice the musty smell of the room, as if the windows had never been opened. All the curtains were draped closed, and the only source of light came from the living room. Without a doubt, this man was in fear of something. Something out there. The door had three deadbolts, and two door chains screwed in.

"Sorry for the shabby state everything is in. What can I do for you?" he replied going into the living room to better accommodate his guests. They each took their seats.

"As you know he's Detective Kurosaki and I'm Detective Kuchiki. We wanted to ask you a few questions about the mask murder incident you witnessed a week ago," she said, noticing the slight flinch in the man when she recalled the murder.

"Oh. I'm afraid I told you everything I know already," he replied, putting on a smile.

"Look you don't have to lie. We can grant you protection from whoever is trying to get you. All we need in return is a little information," she sternly replied, intent on getting information.

"W-Why would...H-How did you know?" he asked, averting his eyes to the floor as he twiddled his thumbs.

"Oh come on. Deadbolts, closed curtains, locked windows, and you. Just look at yourself, your a walking billboard of fear!" she said.

"I-It's just...You guys haven't been able to catch those men at all. I know it's selfish, but if you can't catch them, then they can kill me easily," Hanataro replied.

"I'll make sure you get put in protective custody. You have my word," Ichigo said in a tone of determination. He looked Hanataro in the eye and made an unspoken promise to protect him.

"A-Alright. I'll tell you what happened that night," the young man took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves, as Ichigo and Rukia listened intently.

Hanataro began his recount of that night, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "I was walking to bar after a rough night at the hospital. I was lost in thought, but I remember hearing two gunshots and seeing a guy run out of an alley with a hood pulled over his head. He seemed to have a strange mask on underneath. As he ran past me I saw blood on his sleeve, and he looked up and saw me through the holes in his mask. I decided to go into the alley to see what happened. That's when I saw the body and I tried hard to revive the man...but it was too late. He took a gunshot to the heart," Hanataro stopped to take a quick breather from remembering the overwhelming events.

"It's ok if you need to take a break," Rukia replied, feeling for the young doctor in front of her.

"No, I'm good," he said, starting up the story again. "By then, the cops and ambulance had come. At that point, I was really scared. I just wanted to go to a bar and forget everything. I didn't tell the cops much, and went to that local bar, Hueco Mundo. I sat down and recognized one of the guys as my patient from few weeks earlier. Before I knew what was happening, I was blindfolded and dragged into some dark lit room. In the center of the room was a guy with a gunshot wound in his arm. Someone pushed me in, and then I realized that a man was in the corner of the room, in the shadows. I couldn't make out his face though. He told me to fix up the guy in front of me and he'd let me go. I did as he told me to, which was really hard since I didn't have the proper tools. I got a good look at the guy with the bloody arm though. I couldn't help but look around, and that's when I saw the mask. It was the same one the dead guy had on in the alley. It was also the same mask the murderer was wearing when he ran out of the alley. As soon as I was done, I was blindfolded again, and they threatened to kill me if I said anything. Then they kicked me out of the bar. Ugh...God...it was horrible," he stated as his face fell into his hands. Rukia softly scribbled the last of her notes and looked up at the man. She felt guilty for putting the man through all this.

"Mr. Yamada, I'm sorry, but I have one last request of you," she replied, noticing the worry etching it's way into Hanataro's body language," I need you to come down to the police station with us and help give us a criminal sketch of the man you treated."

"Alright," he replied. He felt a little better after telling someone about that night. He felt a little freer now and a little safer knowing that Ichigo was there.

* * *

The ride back to the station was fairly quiet except for the occasional conversation between Ichigo and Hanataro. When they arrived Ichigo took Hanataro and headed towards an interrogation room to get an official recount of the incident on recording, while they waited for a forensics sketch artist.

"Hey Rukia, can you go tell Chief about what we found out so far?" Ichigo requested.

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you guys later then," and Rukia stalked off towards the Yoruichi's office.

Rukia knocked on Yoruichi's door and a faint "Come in," was heard.

"Chief we just got a lead on the case," Rukia stated.

"My, my Rukia. Already? You and Kurosaki work fast," she replied, happy with the turn of events regarding the case.

"Yes, well the last witness we talked to had a run in with the murderer. He ended up treating the masked murderer, who got hurt killing that victim last week. The witness, Hanataro, got a good view of the criminal and we're in the process of getting a forensics sketch of the murderer," Rukia informed.

"Good work Kuchiki. Your instincts are off the charts...By the way, I've been meaning to ask you. Have you informed Ichigo on your previous partner and your history with this case?" Yoruichi asked in a strict and serious tone.

"I'm afraid the opportunity to do so hasn't made itself present yet," Rukia replied in the elegant Kuchiki manner.

'So much like her brother. What happened to you Rukia?' Yoruichi thought. She remembered the happy go lucky little girl she met on her frequent visits to the orphanage. Ukitake was Yoruichi's close drinking buddy and used to be her superior. She remembered the good old days, but snapped out of it before she got lost in her thoughts.

"Very well Rukia, but I advise you to do so sooner rather than later. You may go now," said the Chief.

Every few minutes Ichigo would see Hanataro's face scrunch up in confusion and his mouth open as if to say something, but then the young doctor would just shake his head and shut his mouth.

"Hanataro, is there something you'd like to say?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh...umm. Well can I ask you something Ichigo?" Hanataro finally asked.

"Yeah, of course you can," Ichigo said, now curious.

"Well, back when I was an intern for you father, I remember you telling me about your partner. But I remember you saying that it was a 'he', and his name was Renji. So, who's she?"

"Oh, well, Renji _was_ my partner. Now Rukia became my temporary partner after Renji got shot in the leg. I'm going to have to stick it out and work with her on this case for a month or so. Why do you ask?," the carrot top replied.

"Oh just wondering. It kinda seemed like she was angry at you or something. Whenever you watch those TV shows partners usually finish each other's sentences, but you guys don't seem to get along. I guess it was kinda silly to think so," he replied with a slight chuckle.

"So you noticed too? Me and her...well...We kind of have a history together, and it didn't exactly end well. Plus I don't think she's too happy about being my partner on this case, I guess there's no helping it," Ichigo said in a defeated tone.

"Don't worry, she'll come around. Whatever you did, I'm sure she'll forgive and forget," said the young doctor, trying to raise Ichigo's spirit.

'I'm not so sure about that,' thought Ichigo.

"UGH! What's taking this sketch artist so long?" Ichigo asked to no one in particular.

Then the door finally opened.

"Took you long enough!" Ichigo yelled before the artist could fully enter through the door. Then he recognized who he was talking to.

"Rukia? Where the hell is the sketch artist? When he gets here I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Ichigo yelled in a frustrated tone.

"First of all the sketch artist is a female! Second of all, it's me! I had to go tell Yoruichi everything then grab my sketch pad. That's why it took me so long you dumbass!" Rukia yelled back. Ichigo's eyes went wide in realization.

"You're...the...artist? He he he. Stop joking! FYI Rukia, criminals don't resemble bunnies! Bwa HAHAHAHAHA!" Ichigo erupted in full blown laughter, causing a vein to throb in Rukia's head.

"You jackass, I'm not joking!" she yelled back, throwing a sharp pencil at Ichigo's head. Hanataro silently sat in his seat observing the exchange of vulgar remarks between the two.

"Holy shit! What the fuck Rukia?" the carrot top asked, rubbing the spot where the pencil hit him on the forehead.

"That was for laughing at me! Now shut up and let me get to work," she yelled, settling herself besides Hanataro and picking up her pencil.

"Now can you describe the suspect to me? Also it would be helpful if he has any distinguishing features like tattoos," Rukia said in a genuinely sweet voice.

"Well, he had a big ten, tattood on his upper left arm. He had orange scruffy eyebrows, with a red tattoo under his right eye. Oh yeah, I heard someone call him Yammy while they were taking me away," Hanataro began, while Rukia wrote down some of the details. This man was already starting to sound like a freak. Her hand moved across the blank page, scrawling lines across the sheet that started to take the form of a man's face. She was well aware that she was under the careful scrutiny of Ichigo as her hand deftly sketched in an eyebrow. Her movements were flawless, and he observed how effortlessly it came to her. For a minute there, he caught a glimpse of the old Rukia, happily doodling away on her bunnies. Her eyes were aglow with a new vigor that she'd never shown before.

* * *

When Rukia had finished the sketch, she ended up with a realistic picture of the criminal. He was bald with a huge jaw. Ichigo stood in a corner of the room in silence, taken aback by Rukia's artistic skills. He used to make fun of her dreams to be an artist since her skills were limited to drawing bunnies. But that was when they were little, now her skills were superior to any forensics artist he had ever seen in action. Shivers went up his spine upon seeing the sinister look in the man's eyes.

Hanataro was even more surprised when the finished product was revealed to him. She had gotten every detail down. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought she saw the criminal in person too.

"Alright, I think that's the best I can do. I will go and give it to the others to make copies of it," she said and walked out, but not before giving Ichigo a look that said, 'eat that!' Hanataro followed her to sign some documents and check about getting some police protection.

Seeing her at work on that drawing only piqued Ichigo's interest. Clearly she must have taken some art classes, and if so, what made her decide to be a cop? He really needed to have a talk with his partner. He stood there leaning against the wall in stony silence, contemplating how to approach her on the topic.

"You look like you're planning to murder someone. What's got you thinking so hard?" said a familiar male voice.

Ichigo looked up to see Renji standing in the doorway, leaning on his crutches. He must have been totally out of it to not notice the loudest cop this side of Karakura make an entrance.

"Just wondering," Ichigo finally voiced.

"About what exactly?" asked Abarai.

"About Rukia," he replied.

"Ugh, what about Rukia?" Renji asked again.

"some of her choices," replied Ichigo in a distant voice.

"Damn it Kurosaki! We're not playing twenty questions. What are you wondering about Rukia?" yelled Renji with absolute frustration.

"Well, haven't you ever wondered why she became a cop?," Ichigo asked, looking Renji in the eye and ignoring the irritated look on the man's face. "I mean you know as well as I do that she always talked about being an artist. She made it clear that she hated her brother's job and guns. Now she's a cop!?"

"I know what you mean. I've been wondering that myself. But you know Rukia, she's always full of surprises," Renji replied."Anyway so what all did you exactly find out?"

Ichigo pushed himself off the wall and started to walk with Renji back to their desk, describing the new information they procured. Renji was in complete shock and impressed with Rukia's detective skills.

"Wow, so this is bigger than some crazy psycho shooting random people. I'll research up on the bar and see if there is any significant information on it," Renji replied.

It was nearing about 3 o'clock and Rukia was scribbling some more stuff into her note pad. She never let that thing go, no matter what. There was a loud growl from Ichigo's stomach that had him slightly blushing. He realized that Rukia nor he had hadany lunch. He decided to treat her to lunch, and maybe ask her a few questions.

"Hey Rukia you want to go get some lunch?" Ichigo asked keeping his eyes locked on Rukia. She could feel her face go a little pale at the thought of lunch with her orange haired partner.

"Ugh...sure," she said, her voice full of doubt. Little to Ichigo's knowledge, the only reason Rukia was tolerating his presence was because he was her partner. As much as she disliked the idea of going out to lunch with him, she couldn't jeopardize the progress the case made by causing a rift between Ichigo and herself. When two people were put on a case, it was ideal that they could communicate.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of red and yelled without hesitation, "Hey Renji! Want to have lunch with us?" she asked, praying he would say yes.

"Well, depends on where," he said, oblivious to the evil glares he was getting from Ichigo. Rukia turned to look at Ichigo, wondering the same exact thing.

"_Rukia_ _and I_ were going to go to Orihime's restaurant," he said, trying to convey to Renji that he wanted to talk to Rukia alone. Unfortunately, when it came to the food at Orihime's restaurant, nothing could keep him from going.

"Of course I wanna go!" he said with delight, starting to go over what he wanted to get, all the while murmuring to himself.

"Great!" Rukia replied, relief washing over her tense body.

If that wasn't good enough, a familiar face came into her view. She wouldn't be able to miss his icy blue hair anywhere.

"Grimmjow, hey," she greeted. Ichigo and Renji both noticed the smile that lit up her face, and their blood began to boil.

"Hey Rukia, I was wondering if you would like to eat lunch with me," he enquired.

"NO!" Renji and Ichigo yelled simlutaneously.

"She's having lunch with us, sorry," replied Ichigo. Not even trying to hide the distaste he held for Grimmjow from his voice. Rukia raised her eyebrow at the two officers, wondering what got into them.

"Oh ok. I was working on a case and I wanted to work on it a little longer. Guess I took a little too long," he replied, scratching the back of his head, resembling a little kid. Ichigo and Renji mentally rolled their eyes at the man.

"Nonsense, I respect a man who is dedicated to his work. You can always join us!" she said, causing both Ichigo and Renji to go wide-eyed. They both gave her incredulous looks, which she shrugged off. Ichigo added this to his list of things to talk to Rukia about.

"Really?" all three men asked.

"Yup. The More the merrier right? Let's go I'm starving," she replied, with a renewed hunger.

Rukia left off with slight skip to her step, and Grimmjow followed in tow. Renji was keeping pace with Ichigo as they both grumbled in silence, mentally stabbing Grimmjow in the back. They both saw through the act. He was a ladie's man, and they wouldn't let him hurt Rukia.

"I don't trust him one bit," Ichigo said in a hushed growl.

"Me neither!" Renji replied. Then his frown turned into a grin. "He he he, you _thinking_ what I'm _thinking_?"

"Depends. Are you thinking along the lines of keep away from Rukia?" Ichigo asked with an evil grin.

"My thoughts _exactly_! Keep him as far away from her as possible," Renji replied, narrowing his eyes at Grimmjow.

All the while, Yoruichi stood leaning against her open door frame. Her eyes followed the two male officers who were grinning and glaring at Detective Jeagerjaques. 'Now what are those two clowns up to?' She knew them well enough to know that when they grinned, that's when you had to worry.

**Yay I'm done! Falls back in bed My fingers need some Rest and Relaxation. The lunch scene will take place next, I didn't feel like fitting it in this chapter. I must admit, I am a major fan of Ichigo's car. I was going to give him a sportsbike, but decided against it, that's for some other stories! Hopefully you guys can supply the Read and Review. As usual, criticism is welcome. Hopefully you enjoyed reading.  
**


	6. The Day That Went Awry

**I tried to finish this chapter as quickly as I could but It took a while when I hit a few snags. I think this chapter is so far the one that I am most proud of. I tried to actually use elements like foreshadowing and stuff. It gets pretty dramatic so hold on. I literally spent a whole day on this because I was a little hesitant and lazy and once I forced myself to open up Word, my fingers just started flying and my mind started racing. I ran through a billion scenarios for this chapter so I will shut up now and let you read. Hope you enjoy!**

Ch.6 The Day That Went Awry

Rukia and Grimmjow were walking on ahead enjoying a light conversation, while two bright haired officers deviously planned out their next moves. Grimmjow got his keys out and Rukia followed beside him. Both Renji and Ichigo were wondering who Rukia was going to ride with, not liking the idea of her being alone in a car with Grimmjow.

"Crap, she's not seriously going to ride with him, is she?" Ichigo growled, eyeing the two people in front of him.

"Not if we can help it!" Renji replied, desperately thinking of what to do.

Their annoyed expressions changed as soon as Grimmjow turned to ask, "So where are we headed to?"

"The Shun Shun Rikka," Ichigo replied.

"I've heard of that place, its pretty low-profile," he replied, turning his attention back to Rukia.

They exited the station and headed to the parking lot. They both heard the beep coming from the Jaguar as it unlocked and an idea popped into Renji's head. Grimmjow walked ahead to his car and moved a box from the from the front seat to the backseat. Rukia was walking at her normal pace but she heard furious and quick clicking on the ground. As soon as she turned her head, bright red hair passed by her in the blink of an eye. She was bewildered by the sight of Renji sprinting with his crutches towards Grimmjow's car. 'What in the world?' she thought.

Ichigo walked towards his own car, amused by the sight of Renji with an almost constipated face. He was relieved at the thought of someone else at least being in the car with those two. He knew Rukia was a smart girl, but could she seriously not see through Grimmjow's facade?

Rukia realized what Renji was trying to do then. She remembered being forced to sit by Ichigo right after the airport, and she would be damned if Renji stole her seat _again_. She quickened her pace while trying to hide the desperation in her longer strides. Grimmjow made his way to the other side of the car and held the passenger side door open for Rukia, oblivious to what was really going on. As soon as Renji reached the Jaguar he opened the backseat to dump his crutches in but he struggled with trying to fit them in, while the box was there. His plan was to stash his crutches in the back, and then occupy the front passenger seat so Rukia wouldn't even be in the picture. Grimmjow, all the while was smirking at the redhead's effort, starting to catch on.

Now Ichigo was worried as he saw Renji struggle and Rukia arrive. He saw her turn to glare at himself, then glare at Renji. 'Damn, she probably knows by now.'

"Renji your crutches won't fit!" she said, while standing in front of her seat. Grimmjow stood on the other side with his door open on the driver's side.

"No...ugh...No, it will fit!" he said, trying to keep balance on one foot and shove the crutches into the backseat. Change of plans, he'd just sit in the back with the crutches. There was no way in hell that he'd leave Rukia all alone with the blue haired Casanova over there.

"Just go sit with Ichigo, I'm sure he'll be lonely in that mustang of his," she said, wondering what had gotten into those two. She wasn't about to be forced into another awkward moment with Ichigo.

"Ichigo will be fine...ungh...YES!" he yelled, rather loudly as the the crutches finally fit, but just barely. If Renji didn't know any better, he'd say that Grimmjow purposely put that damned box in the backseat. "I mean how many times would I get the chance to ride in a Jaguar like this?" Renji asked as he tried to sit in the backseat and avoid the crutches.

"Renji just go already! You'll never fit in there!" she yelled, starting to lose her patience. Renji ended up in an uncomfortably position with his back and legs bent at odd angles.

"Hey, you can always ride in my car later if you want, we should probably get going soon though," Grimmjow put in, getting into the drivers seat.

"Rukia why don't you just go sit with Ichigo? Not scared are you?" he asked. Hopefully she'd get riled up enough to try to prove him wrong. He got back out of the car, not willing to put himself through a half-hour ride in that position.

"Stop being such a child Renji! Now go!" she yelled with an air of finality. She got into her side of the car and shut the door.

"Fine!" he growled under his breath, and yanked his crutches out, almost falling backwards in the effort. He stalked off towards Ichigo's car, displeased with the failed attempt.

"I'm _so_ sorry about him! I really don't know what got into him," she replied with a faint blush gracing her cheeks. It was clear Renji didn't want her by Grimmjow, but she could care less about what they thought. She was never one to submit to another's wishes.

"No, no. It's okay, he's probably just jealous that I get the pleasure of you company," he replied, causing even more heat to rise up in Rukia's cheeks. He slowly pulled out the parking lot, pleased with the alone time he got with her.

* * *

"Goddammit!" Ichigo snarled, as he watched Grimmjow drive off with Rukia.

He got into the car and slammed the door, waiting for Renji to get in. Huffing and puffing with fury, Renji threw the crutches into the back, and slammed the door as he sat in the car besides Ichigo.

"Damn box... Fucking crutches!" Renji hissed. Ichigo sat fuming in the drivers seat as he pulled out to go to the restaurant.

"What the hell Renji! It doesn't take that long to get into a car!" Ichigo yelled, not listening to the voice of reason, telling him that it really wasn't Renji's fault.

"Fuck you! _I_ at least tried to do something didn't I? Dammit i was willing to sacrifice myself and sit with that deviant! There was no space for my friggin crutches," he yelled back, angered that the blame was being placed on him.

"I know...it's just...UGH! That damn bastard!" Ichigo growled in frustration. He knew he had no right to be overprotective of Rukia, but when it came to that blue-haired freak things tended to get personal. He had first hand experience when it came to Grimmjow breaking the hearts of innocent girls. He knew one who had hers broken, and couldn't help but feel responsible for putting her in such a vulnerable position. Rukia deserved a lot better than that Casanova.

Grimmjow:1  
Ichigo and Renji:0

"I know, let's just try to get there as fast as we can. The fucker, he's probably sweet-talking her right now," Renji said. It almost felt like old times. Trying to steer Rukia away from the bad boys and keeping other boys away from her through physical force. He almost missed his brotherly duties towards her. After she left, Renji felt like a pathetic brother figure. He let her get hurt, and in the end, it pained him to think that she couldn't come to him in her moment of anguish.

"Casanova's got something else coming if he thinks we'll just give up," Ichigo stated with determination blazing through him. No way would he let Grimmjow capture another woman's heart, only to mess with it and return it in pieces. If he wanted the old Rukia back, no way in hell would he let Jeagerjaques win.

* * *

"So how was your first day?" Grimmjow asked, keeping his eyes focused on the road.

"As good as it can be I guess. We already started getting somewhere on the case, so that's a plus," Rukia replied with ease.

"Oh well that's great! How is it working with Kurosaki? Not too scary I hope," he asked, displaying a smile on his face. His blithe way of addressing her fears made her feel slightly stupid for worrying about such things. Ichigo really wasn't that bad of a guy and truthfully she had a hard time trying to pick out reasons to hate him. For the longest time she had viewed him as this horrible monster who had destroyed her life. She knew that there were painful memories but they were all hazy right now, and she didn't want to get a clear view of them. She liked the haze because she was afraid the clarity would show her the pain.

"No, you were right. He isn't so bad. The situation is not so much as scary now as it is awkward," she replied. It almost didn't feel like that big of a deal now. Grimmjow certainly had a way of making light of everything.

"Of course he isn't. Just ignore the hair and the constant scowl," he joked. "But why exactly is it awkward?"

She didn't want to go into details about their past. Instead, she settled for the partial truth.

"Well we are new partners, it's always awkward isn't it?" she asked in a joking manner. "And the scowl doesn't really bother me much anymore, I've gotten used to it," she said, trying to change the subject.

"He he. Yeah, I think everyone in our department has gotten used to his face. I actually have a theory on it. Wanna hear it?" he asked, flashing her another brilliant grin.

"I'd love to," she replied with genuine curiosity. Plus, she wanted to steer clear of any topics regarding her and Ichigo's past.

"Well, I think he concentrated a little too much for a little too long when he was a kid, and his face got stuck that way. Now he can't change it. I think his scowl gets even deeper when he works on a case. He's a work-a-holic. I have no idea how Abarai keeps up," Grimmjow replied, while Rukia let out small chuckles. She noticed a long time ago that the frown became ever more present when Ichigo focused a lot. She thought that it was almost cute. Whenever she used to tell Ichigo her problems he used to make that face. It reassured her that he was listening carefully and trying to help her, and that thought in itself made her feel all the more better. She'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't miss that.

"Works a lot huh? He kinda seemed a little lazy to me when I wanted to go interview a witness again," she replied.

"Interview again? You too seem perfect together. No wonder Yoruichi was so excited when you came. By the way, if you don't really want to tell me about your real reason to feel uneasy around Ichigo, you don't have to tell me," Grimmjow said, while turning into a parking lot.

"I guess I should have known better than to lie to a detective. Maybe in time, I'll tell you," Rukia replied while softly patting Grimmjow's hand that was on the gear shift. "Now where are those two?" she asked while looking around.

Rukia eyed the fairly upper class restaurant. Ichigo and Renji came in just as Rukia and Grimmjow got out of the car. Rukia flinched when she hard the deafening slams of car doors. Grimmjow eyed the other two as they made their way over.

"Uh oh. Know any reason why they are mad?" Grimmjow whispered into Rukia's ear, which only got Ichigo angrier.

"No clue. They're probably just hungry," Rukia replied in a whispered back refraining from giggling. If one thing wasn't going to change about those two, it was that their emotions were still tied to their stomachs.

Rukia was too close to Grimmjow for comfort for Ichigo. 'When the hell did she get all buddy buddy with him?' His lunch idea was not going as planned at all. Now he couldn't even ask her any questions.

"Let's go!" Ichigo growled, while heading towards the building. Renji trailed behind him with equal frustration.

"Oh my! Ichigo! Long time no see! So how many?" asked the buxom strawberry blonde with chipper enthusiasm. She peered behind him to see who else was there, only to see Rukia and two men who were hiding. Renji was trying to hide behind Ichigo but failing miserably, and Grimmjow was successfully hidden behind the red-head. Rukia stood there and raised her eyebrow at the two.

"Four," Ichigo replied in an aggrivated tone.

The tall blonde started to lead the way into the beautiful restaurant. "If you would follow me, this way. I'll get you some really good seats. Man! Wait until I tell Or-"

"No! Don't!" Ichigo yelled, making everyone close by jump in their seats. Trying to ignore all the eyes on him, he began again in a hushed tone," I mean, she is busy and all. So don't bother her okay?"

"But...Fine I won't tell her," she replied with a pout. "Anyway my name is Rangiku and I will be your waitress this evening. I'll be back with the menus." She headed back to as the four of them got seated.

Grimmjow was the first to sit down at the rectangular table, which made Ichigo and Renji grin deviously in their minds. They gave each other a look and as soon as Grimmjow took his seat, they began to make their move.

Rukia was hoping to end up sitting beside Grimmjow and across from Renji. She went for the seat beside Grimmjow when Ichigo came out of nowhere and stole the seat, much to her dismay. She quickly made her way around to sit in the seat across from the blue-haired man but Renji beat her to it. She let out an inner groan, when she realized that they planned for this. She slapped Renji on the back of the head, when Grimmjow wasn't looking and took her seat.

"Bitch!" Renji hissed, rubbing the back of his head. "But it was still worth it!" he thought while unleashing an impish grin.

Ichigo was jumping up and down in his mind. He also got to sit across from Rukia. Although he would like it if Grimmjow was not at the table at all, he would just have to settle for it. He looked up to exchange a mental high five with an equally ecstatic Renji.

Grimmjow: 1  
Ichigo and Renji: 1

Rukia was so furious. What is it with men and having to control everything? Now she had to sit across from Ichigo who kept gazing at her, as she looked anywhere but at him. Then she saw Grimmjow turn his head around with his hand positioned awkwardly, like he was trying to hide his face again. She saw Renji trying to do the same thing, then she realized why.

"Renji! Grimmjow! I haven't seen you guys in a long time either! Renji you totally ditched me at that party! Grimmjow I thought you said you were going to call me?" she asked, eying the two as they looked around as if asking, 'me?'. Renji grinned as Grimmjow squirmed in his seat under the scrutiny of Rangiku. Hopefully it would be a perfect example to show the true side of Grimmjow to Rukia.

"I got called in all of a sudden and I had to run out. I'm so sorry," Renji replied. Sometimes he loved his job and the excuses it provided.

"And I actually meant to call you. It's just...it's just...I lost your number! Yeah! I totally lost your number and by then it was too late," he replied. Everyone sweat dropped at the lame excuse, which he was desperately trying to persuade her with.

"Bullshit Renji! And if that's the case, you forgiven Grimmjow!" she replied. 'How the hell does she believe his lame ass story and not mine?' Renji fumed. She went around asking them for drinks, while they all conversed and made inside jokes.

Rukia truly felt like the odd man out. It felt like going to a school reunion and realizing how much everything had changed. How _everyone_ had changed. She'd missed out on too much, and now she had to make up for it. After today, she'd have to ask Renji about visiting a certain someone. She'd been wanting to see _him_ especially. But fear overcame her desire to see him whenever the thought occurred.

All the while, Ichigo noticed that Rukia was deeply contemplating something. He could see faint worry lines start to show in her forehead. A strong compulsion to reach across and grab her hand took over him, but he thought better of it.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Rangiku directed a question towards her. "So who are you?"

"Oh...um...I actually work with them. My name is Rukia Kuchiki," she replied.

"She's Ichigo's new partner, and our really old friend from way back," Renji added.

"Oh...he he... I bet you guys are partners in more than one way" Rangiku started, causing both Ichigo and Rukia to turn bright red faces at the insinuation. Renji ended up choking on his water, when he thought about how wrong she was.

"RANGIKU! I swear to-" Ichigo started to yell, grabbing the attention of a handful of other diners.

"No time to chit chat Ichigo, I'll be back when you decide what to eat!" she replied, scurrying away from the angry carrot-top.

"Wait! Your not going to tell her I'm here, right?" Ichigo asked, confirming one last time. It would be the worst case scenario on practically everyone's part if the chef came out to talk to him.

"Your such a party pooper! Fine I won't _tell_ her that _you're_ here," she replied, deviously and gave him a wink.

"And that includes writing or sign language, or any other kind of communication," he replied, not trusting her. Rangiku had a way of finding a loophole in anything. She really should have been a lawyer.

"Whatever," she replied with her back turned as she kept walking towards the kitchen. Ichigo sat there red-faced and worried that somehow Orihime would find out.

They all sat there in the most awkward silence. Ichigo kept his head turned down, trying to avoid looking at Rukia when he realized how uneasy he made her. Renji kept taking a sip of his water every minute, while Grimmjow kept staring at the menu, trying to decide what to get. Rukia took the time to take in her settings. The restaurant was in a "U" shape and walled in the outdoor area on three sides, which was where their table was located. The part that was not walled gave way to a breathtaking view of the Karakura Lake sparkling in the late afternoon sun. The floor was Italian travertine stone tiles that gave the outdoor environment a certain warmth and glow. Who ever owned this restaurant took great care in making it high quality and welcoming. Even the outside of the restaurant wall were adorned with beautiful pieces of artwork, ranging from oil paintings to photography to abstract art. An odd painting caught her eye, a wolf disguised as a human, standing in a crowd of people who were all smiling. It was completely out of place among the other pieces, but for some reason it kept bugging her. She was pulled out of her reverie when she heard Grimmjow and Ichigo talking.

"So Rukia tells me you guys are getting somewhere on the case. What exactly is it about?" Grimmjow asked.

"It's actually confidential right now. But the only reason we got somewhere was because of Rukia," Ichigo replied, hoping to gain some points with her. At the same time, he was genuinely proud of her for being so thorough in the case. She was almost better than himself.

"I almost wish she was my partner, I don't think she'd mind," Grimmjow added, giving her a quick wink and that grin she was so familiar with by now.

"Yeah, but I'd mind," Renji whispered to himself, going unnoticed by everyone but Rukia, which she stomped on his foot for.

"By the way, how do you know Rangiku?" Ichigo inquired, trying to show Rukia that Grimmjow really was a womanizer.

"Oh well, I sorta helped her out of a tight spot, and she kinda got clingy after that. But I already had a girlfriend and I wasn't about to cheat on her," Grimmjow replied. By now he knew what kind of game Kurosaki was playing, and he wasn't about to fall for it. Getting Rukia was what mattered now, and he was done with his old ways. It helped that she was extremely attractive, but Rukia was a mystery, and he could never back down from one as intriguing as her.

"Right. How exactly did you help her?" Ichigo asked suspiciously. 'Helped her, psh yeah right! Slept with her is more like it. Probably his hundredth girlfriend at that,' Ichigo thought. No way would he let Grimmjow paint himself as the good guy.

"Ichigo! Your being rude," Rukia berated, disliking the way they were behaving towards Grimmjow. All he did was help her ever since she got here, and she owed it to him to defend him.

"No it's fine Rukia. I used to be somewhat of a...philanderer, in my young and immature days. I can see how they feel protective of you. But that was in the past, and I've changed my ways. Hopefully my actions can speak for themselves now," Grimmjow replied. His candor and openness shocked everyone.

"I appreciate your honesty. It's a hard quality to find in a guy these days, along with your maturity level, which I'm afraid is lacking in these two men. I'm really sorry they are so quick to judge," she replied, making Renji and Ichigo shrink down into their seats. How did she manage to make them feel so guilty?

Grimmjow: 2  
Ichigo and Renji: 1

Rangiku came back and took their orders. She came back about twenty minutes later with their lunch. The aroma filled the air and almost had them all drooling to dig in, as she one by one laid down each dish. They were halfway done with their course, when Ichigo looked up.

"Oh. Shit!" Ichigo hissed, which made everyone turn in the direction of his gaze. There, greeting people at their tables, stood a beautiful woman in a chef's garb. Grimmjow tensed up as well when he saw the woman. He didn't know that she was the chef of this restaurant. Her long ginger hair flowed down her back and was pinned back. Her grey eyes sparkled as she talked to the diners. Most of the men showed an interest in her prominent attributes. Normally Rukia would have felt indifferent and wouldn't be too quick to judge, but all she could feel was a sharp pain jab at the wounds in her heart. No wonder Ichigo was so insistent on not having her come out. This was the girl that he had left Rukia for. Rukia immediately turned around, not wanting to be reminded of what transpired between her and Ichigo so very long ago. 'Stupid Ichigo, why did you bring me here?!'

Ichigo's heart was racing a thousand beats per second. He didn't even want to look at Rukia, not wanting to see what emotion would be lingering there in her eyes. 'Damn Rangiku. This day just keeps getting better and better!' he cynically thought. Now it was Ichigo's turn to try and hide, but there was no chance with his bright orange hair. He felt like he was in a soap opera. Why did he ever think of bringing everyone here? Not only was he hurting Rukia, Orihime would be hurt as well when she'd see who else was sitting at the table.

When Orihime turned to go to another table, bright orange hair caught her eye. She had her suspicions when Rangiku kept insisting that she should go and mingle with the everyone. She was glad she had finally given in and gone. She walked up to Ichigo's table, clearly ecstatic that he had come after the longest time. Orihime truly missed his presence in her life. She clearly knew who the red haired man was, but the dark haired girl was a mystery. As she continued to walk forward, her smile deteriorated as she caught sight of the icy blue hair. She felt like a weight was pressing down on her chest, and old scabs started to break, but she continued on and tried to brighten up her smile the best she could.

"Ichigo, it's good to see you after so long," she replied, as she gazed longingly at his face.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too. I see your restaurant business is still prosperous. I'm sorry I couldn't come visit more often," he replied, distraught over his own stupidity. He could see the hurt in her eyes when she saw Grimmjow. The pain that lady-killer caused her, was all his fault. Ichigo had led her on and when he broke up with her, he left her in a vulnerable state. She easily fell for Grimmjow's tricks and had her heart broken again.

"And who is this? I'm Inoue Orihime," she said, talking to the mysterious raven haired woman, who had her face turned down.

'C'mon Rukia! Just put on a smile and return the greeting. Just ignore what happened, and say hi!' She willed herself on to try to be civilized. Orihime seemed to be nice enough.

"I'm Kuchiki Rukia. It's nice to meet the Chef who created this delicious food. It was a pleasure to eat," complimented Rukia. She wore a smile and looked up into Orihime's face. Ichigo saw Rukia's smile slightly falter as she struggled to keep her facade in place. He felt like an utter and complete jackass for what he had done two the two women in front of him. He didn't deserve Orihime's kindness at all.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm sorry but I'm afraid I have to go now. Busy busy!" she replied in cheerful tone, hoping to hide the despair that was beginning to fill her. She could no longer stay in their presence. She felt too many emotions and memories flood into her head. When Rukia turned looked up, Orihime immediately recognized her. For a long time, she was envious of Rukia. She spent a good amount of her life envying the friendship and relationship between Ichigo and her. Were they back together? She shoved it out of her mind as she hurried into the kitchen to concentrate on cooking and nothing else.

Grimmjow felt slightly guilty, knowing the reason Orihime left was mainly due to the pain he caused her. He tried desperately to not make any eye contact, and he could feel Rukia's gaze linger on his form soon after. It was obvious to Rukia that something had happened for Grimmjow to react this way. She'd have to ask him later on.

Renji sat squirming in his seat as a painfully awkward silence washed over all of them. Lesson of the day: ex-girlfriend equal drama. What had Rangiku done? She had opened pandora's box. He was kind of scared for her when she would return because God knows that Ichigo would not be pleasant. Far from it.

Rukia had not felt this overcome with so many raw emotions of anger and misery in years. How could one small trip to her hometown cause her to become an emotional wreck so quickly? In her eyes, only one man was responsible, and he only sat a few feet in front of her. How she wished she could just reach across the table and wring his neck for bringing her here! To think she was about to come here _together_ with _him_.

"Excuse me," she primly said in that proper Kuchiki tone. She made her way to the restroom and tears began to form in her eyes. 'No no no no. STOP! Stupid tears. Oh my god, control yourself Rukia,' she thought to herself. As soon as she went through the doors, she was greeted by a luxurious bathroom. There was a beautiful chaise lounge on one side of the room, which Rukia sat down on. She counted to ten, taking deep breaths in between. She felt the tears on the verge of overflowing but being her stubborn self, she refused to cry. Not now and not ever! It might be a foolish thing to try to do, but she told herself that Ichigo Kurosaki would never make her shed a single tear again. She made her way over to the mirror and took one long look at herself. She would have to be partners with that carrot-top for a month. She couldn't let herself fall apart at the seams every single time her past came up. The haze had finally cleared and all the suffering she had gone through came back and slapped her in the face. Rukia was going to solve this case and go back as soon as that month was over. She stood there in front of the mirror for the longest time, mentally barricading herself off from those raw emotions she'd felt only minutes ago. As of now, Ichigo would be nothing to her but her partner in law. Right now, friendship was not possible at this point. Today would be a test. All she just needed to do was get through the day without breaking down. Easier said that done.

* * *

As soon as Rukia had left the table the atmosphere had darkened drastically. The men sat there with their out of place hair in complete silence for the longest time. Ichigo decided to break the silence.

"I know what your doing," Ichigo whispered, while keeping his eyes fixed in front of him.

"Oh really? What exactly might that be?" Grimmjow asked in an unfamiliar tone.

"Leave Rukia alone. She's been through enough and she doesn't need you to cause her more pain," Ichigo growled out, fisting his hands.

"_Me_? Cause her pain? No, I think it's the other way around Kurosaki. It seems _your_ the one hurting her," Grimmjow sneered, surprising both Renji and Ichigo that he knew so much from simply observing.

"Shut up! You don't know anything," Renji yelled in the lowest tone he could.

"I might have hurt her a long time ago, but I meant well. You on the other hand just like to play with woman, and I'll be damned if I let you toy with her!" Ichigo spat out.

"You meant well? Ha! That's like saying you killed someone, but you were only trying to help them. It doesn't hide the fact that you still killed them, and that's exactly what you did to her. You killed her! I'll be frank here. I like Rukia and I'm pretty sure Rukia has taken a fancy to me. You guys clearly have a past, and that's exactly what it will remain to be," Grimmjow rebuked, adding fire to the guilt that burned in Ichigo. His tone was condescending and on the verge of sinister. It was a side probably very few had seen. A side that Grimmjow took great care in not revealing to Rukia.

"It was my mistake and I'll have to live with it. Right now all I can do is try to revive her. She's vulnerable right now. I'm not about to let what happened to Orihime happen to her," Ichigo replied.

"I doubt you'd be able to revive her. All you do is speed up her death. I've seen the true Rukia. I've seen that soft glow in her eyes. That sparkle in her sapphire eyes. That glowing face with her beautiful smirk when she banters. I've seen the life in Rukia that you only wish you could see again. And guess who sparked the life in her. _Me_, not you, but _ME_!" Grimmjow said, dealing the final blow.

Both Renji and Ichigo sat in there seats. Each word was a slap in their face as they realized Grimmjow's words held some truth. He did make her happy and feel at ease. He made her laugh. They felt like they had failed Rukia. Jealousy raged through Ichigo's body at the thought of another man making Rukia happy. He almost didn't recognize the feeling. 'Am I jealous? No no no. I just want my friend back. Nothing more, nothing less. I just want her to be cheerful girl he once knew,' he deliberated. Yet, he wanted to be the one to bring the glow in her eyes. Deep down, he wanted to be the reason for her happiness. The thought that he could never be that man for her again made his heart sink into his stomach.

Rukia came out of the bathroom with a cold exterior. Grimmjow's sunny disposition returned and tried to get any reaction out of Rukia but all he received was a small smile, or a short lived chuckle. The environment became quite morbid as the sky began to darken with clouds. They all finished their meals in silence, and got ready to leave.

"Hold on a sec," Ichigo quickly said, running off towards Rangiku. 'Oh. She's in for it,' Renji thought, grimacing at the thought of what Ichigo would say.

Ichigo stormed his way towards Rangiku and as soon as she saw him, she turned to run into the kitchen. Unfortunately for her, Ichigo was quicker and barred her way. He quickly grabbed her upper arm and pulled her into a corner. His tense body language frightening the waitress.

"Sorry?" she squeaked out.

"Sorry?! What the hell Rangiku! What part of don't tell her do you not get?" he yelled.

"Well... I didn't exactly tell her you were here. I just told her to go out there and mingle," she defended. She really didn't know the mess it would cause. She immediately knew something was wrong when Orihime came back into the kitchen. Something was deeply bothering her but she would never let anyone know it.

"Bullshit! You damn fucking well knew she'd see me! There was a reason I didn't want her to come out. I was trying to protect her from Grimmjow!" he yelled with aggravation.

"Grimmjow? What?...I'm really really really sorry Ichigo. If I knew why, I wouldn't have done that. It's just...she's always happy when you come by. I mean truly happy! You have no idea how much you affect her, Ichigo. I honestly meant well," Rangiku replied sincerely.

"I know what you mean. Sorry I yelled at you. Just listen to me next time, alright?" he asked. Once again, he took his anger out on the wrong person. He really needed to calm down.

"Okay. So um... can I go now?" she asked meekly.

"Oh yea, sorry. Can I ask a favor of you though?" asked Ichigo.

"Shoot," she replied with a smile.

"Can you help her move on? She deserves a lot better, and I don't want her waiting on something that's not going to happen," he replied with his head hung low.

"Don't get so full of yourself Kurosaki! I think she's taken a liking to the new sous chef, Ishida Uryuu," she replied, pushing his chin up with her finger. She gave one last wink and headed off inside the kitchen.

There was one other person he needed to talk to now. If only he could get a moment alone with her. He needed to apologize to Rukia terribly about what he put her through. In truth, he had a lot to apologize for but this would be a good start. They headed outside to the cars while Renji lagged behind. He ate a little too much of the delicious food, and the last thing he wanted to do was overexert himself and throw up. For Ichigo it was now or never. He gently tugged on Rukia's arm and she turned around. He hated that dead look in her eyes.

"Hey, can I give you a ride back to the station?" Ichigo asked, hoping she would say yes.

"I don't want to inconvenience Renji but taking his seat. Plus it would be rude to just ditch Grimmjow," she replied in a cold voice, turning around, but Ichigo stopped her again.

"Don't worry about Renji. I need to talk to you," he replied.

"There's nothing to talk about. Now, if you'd please let me go, I'd like to get back to the station as soon as we can," she replied, walking away from him and towards Casanova over there.

"Ouch. C'mon Ichigo, you can always talk to her back at headquarters. She can't really avoid you there," Renji replied.

* * *

By the time they got back to the police station, the sky was filled with dark storm clouds. Yoruichi noticed the morbid atmosphere that entered along with the officers. She knew something bad was going to happen. Why'd she have to put in charge of the most dramatic police station ever. Everyday was practically a soap opera waiting to happen. When would they learn?

Rukia immediately buried herself in work. Case files and pictures were strewn about the desk. Ichigo was looking through some information on Hueco Mundo but his mind wasn't really in it. He was really concentrating on how to approach Rukia. He decided to get some of his questions answered today. He needed to warn her about Grimmjow before it was too late. Time passed by ever so slowly for Rukia as she waited for the day to end. It was nearing six o'clock so she began to pack up, she'd just have to take a taxi. Hopefully she'd be quick enough to evade Ichigo and his "talk."

"Rukia?" he asked in a deep and serious tone. 'Dang, too late,' she told herself. Rukia slowly turned around to face him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you, and I'm not about to take no for an answer," he replied. She crossed her arms over her chest and walked inside the archives room. They could hear the lightning and thunder start up. It sounded like a pretty bad storm was brewing.

"What Ichigo, and make it quick because I'm tired and I want to go home," she said, clearly vexed by the day's events.

"I'm so sorry Rukia. I wanted to take you out to lunch to just talk, but then one thing led to another and-"

"You decide to take me to _her_ restaurant?" she asked, infuriated by him and his stupid ideas. She could feel her walls starting to crumble.

"I didn't mean for you to meet her. She has the best food, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I just wanted to take you out to a nice place, maybe like old times I guess," he said, scratching the back of his head in nervousness. His excuse sounded completely lame to him, and it seemed with every word he said, he was only digging himself a deeper grave.

"Like old times? I'm sorry, but those times are long gone and buried! And then you have the nerve to actually try and make Grimmjow look like the bad guy? He's really helped me out and made my life a little easier," she began to yell. She knew that she promised to keep her demeanor calm, but Ichigo just made her so angry sometimes it was hard to ignore.

"I can't believe you're defending him! That bastard has toyed with so many girls. He's a friggin womanizer and I forbid you to go anywhere near that bastard! If you knew the things he did," Ichigo yelled back. The voice of reason was once again yelling at him to stay calm but he couldn't.

"Maybe he really did change, and for the better! People can do that you know! You can't forbid me to do anything. I mean how the hell would you know what he's really like? All you judge him by is some petty little rumors," Rukia argued.

"I've seen him in action! You should have seen the state Orihime was in when he broke her heart!" he yelled out before he could think. He mentally slapped himself for bringing the wrong person up at the wrong time.

"Look he's different now! If you want revenge for what he did to your little girlfriend, go get it some other way. Stop trying to get back at him through me!" she yelled, feeling her eyes start to sting. She hated that her eyes always reacted to her emotional state.

"She's not my girlfriend, and I'm not trying to get revenge. I'm trying to protect you from getting hurt. I don't want him anywhere near you. How did you even meet?" he asked with curiosity. She seemed so comfortable with him, almost like she knew him her whole life. He could never love Orihime the way he loved Rukia. He hadn't felt that kind of passion in a long time.

"He gave me a ride today morning. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm afraid you're going to have to settle with us being in close quarters because he lives in the apartment next to mine!" she retorted, and rushed out. She could hear him yell out her name in the room she left. She knew he'd follow her and right now she was having a hard enough time keeping the pain from floating to the surface. Her vision got a little fuzzy as her eyes began to tear up again. Frustrated with herself, she closed her eyes willing herself to calm down. That's when she bumped into something hard. She quickly opened her eyes to meet cornflower blue eyes. Grimmjow put one hand on Rukia's arm and the other hand was under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked in a deep and worried tone. He looked behind her to see Ichigo stop mid-run at the sight of the two.

"Was it him?" Grimmjow snarled. He let go of Rukia and made his was around her towards Ichigo. Grimmjow's fist was clenched tight and yearning to come into contact with the carrot-top's jaw. But he was stopped when Rukia pulled on his arm.

"Don't. I'm just being stupid," she let out, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"Fine, but the next time he hurts you...I swear to God he'll be the one with tears in his eyes. C'mon, I'm taking you home," Grimmjow replied, wrapping an arm around Rukia and guiding her outside.

As soon as they were out the door Ichigo kicked the trashcan by him, making it fly across the room and bang into the wall. He remembered the score, and Grimmjow had managed to win. It was a stupid game, but it still made Ichigo's blood boil when he thought about Grimmjow was closer to Rukia than anyone right now.

"Kurosaki! I advise you to control yourself!" Yoruichi yelled, standing in the doorway, in her famous position. She had seen the whole thing unfold. Personally she was rooting for Rukia and Ichigo, but she wasn't about to get involved. If Ichigo wanted to get anywhere, he needed to learn control over his emotions.

"Sorry," he replied dejectedly. He felt completely disappointed in himself. The one girl he wants to get closer to is royally pissed at him. It's times like these when he really missed his mother. She would know what advice to give him. In many ways, Rukia took on his mother's role in his life. She was the most important woman in his life. She constantly worried and took care of him. And now, he felt completely alone and empty. The one candle left in his heart had been blown out and he had no idea how to light it again.

"Don't give in Kurosaki. Give it a little more time, she's still confused right now. You can't force things on her, you have to gain her trust again. Unfortunately that takes patience, something you lack," she replied in a voice that almost sounded compassionate. It was the first time Ichigo saw the Chief's strict demeanor gone. He took her words to heart. He'd take any help he could get.

* * *

It began to rain as Rukia and Grimmjow made their way to the Jaguar. They hastily got into the car, and Grimmjow turned the engine on. The temperature had dropped significantly causing the them to grow even colder in their wet state.

"So you gonna tell me what happened back there?" Grimmjow asked as he pulled out.

"It was nothing," she replied, rubbing her arms trying to hold onto the warmth.

"It didn't sound like nothing. I could hear you yelling from a mile away. I can help you Rukia, but you have to open up first," Grimmjow replied.

"You guys could hear us? Crap, I tried not to lose control, but when it comes to him, I just can't help it. It takes all I can to not cry. I'm sorry you have to deal with an emotional wreck like me. It's not right of me to vent to you when I refuse to tell you what the cause of my anger is," she replied, trying not to shiver. Grimmjow reached over and turned the heat up. Rukia immediately felt some of the warmth return to her numbed body.

"I don't really mind the secrets Rukia. I know you'll tell me when it's the right time. Truth be told I was really scared when I bumped into you and saw those tears. I'm really glad you stopped yourself from crying cuz the one thing I'm scared of more than being shot at, is a crying woman. I probably would have just ran the other way," Grimmjow joked.

"Your such a jerk," Rukia said laughing, and slapped his arm playfully.

"Hey! I could arrest you for abuse you know. There's the Rukia we all know and love. I was afraid you'd be all cold after today. Seriously, don't be scared to come to me, even if your crying," he replied, patting her hand gently. He caught sight of the smile that dawned on her face as she closed her eyes and snuggled into the seat.

"You know what you are to me, Grimmjow?" Rukia asked sleepily.

"What?" Grimmjow asked. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"You're my heater. I feel like it's always raining and I'm numb from the cold, but I finally found some heat. Finally, I found a hole in the clouds and where the sun can shine through. Even if it's just a little ray of light, it's better than nothing," she replied with a final yawn. The realization hit Grimmjow that that's all he'd ever be. He'd be the little hole in the clouds, not the sun. He didn't even make the clouds disappear, but he would at least try. 'Wait! What the hell am I saying? I can't let myself get that close to her. As much fun as it is, torturing Kurosaki. That's all it will ever be, just a little fun,' Grimmjow thought, as Rukia nodded off.

The last things Rukia thought about was pitter patter of rain falling down against the windows. She could hear the 'shhh' of the cars that drove by on the wet road, splashing the water everywhere. For the first time in a long time, the rain didn't bother her that much. Rukia still felt the sting lingering somewhere inside her. The car was filled with a comforting warmth but for some reason she still felt frozen inside. Just as she fell asleep, an image popped up in her head. It was the strange painting of the wolf disguised as a man. It dominated her final thoughts before she slept, and would begin to appear in her dreams as well.

**It's done! It's 3 A.M. and I am finally done. This was an extra long chapter for you guys. I know it's not perfect and there probably is some error in there, but I kinda finished this story quickly and I want to get it out to you guys as soon as possible. I want to give a special thanks to _marislily_ and _Picttus_ for reading and reviewing, along with their very useful criticism. I greatly appreciate the advice you gave me. Hopefully I'm getting better at this writing thing. I was going to write in a flashback of the whole Orihime and Ichigo thing but I still have a few details to work out. I never intended to make Grimmjow a likable character, but for some reason I really like him. Hopefully some of you picked up on the whole candle being blown out for Ichigo, which I actually got from _Fahrenheit 451_. It's an amazing book and basically the candle hope.  
**

**You know the drill by now. Review please! Feedback really helps me in deciding which direction to take with the story.**


	7. Me Against the World

**Oh wow, I am so sorry I have not updated in the longest time. The past few weeks had been extra busy, especially with the Olympics and school starting up again soon. I haven't felt the creative juices running and I admit I was overtaken by sloth for a while. Sorry if this chapter is short, but I wanted to give you guys something.**

Ch. 7 Me Against the World

_The orphanage Rukia grew up in had a remarkable history. It stood tall and strong since the early 1900's. It had been built, rebuilt, and remodeled. It contained within its walls layers upon layers of memories. Sure it needed some fixing up but no one minded the antique feel. Every time the building would be restored old walls would come down and new walls would come up. Sometimes small spaces would be closed off. Ukitake's orphanage contained a number of these secret closed off spaces. It was in on of these very spaces where a young Rukia sat hugging her knees with dried tear stains lingering on her pale skin. This was her secret room where she escaped into for whatever reason. The room was made for her, seeing as her petite frame was a perfect squeeze to get into the space. Handrawn pictures were pinned to the walls and in the corner of the space was a wooden box which her eyes were glued to. Just thinking of what laid inside returned the stinging sensation to her eyes._

_It had been two days since Ichigo had broken up with her. Byakuya had asked for an answer to his proposition in a weeks time, leaving her five days. Up until two days ago she would have turned him down in a heartbeat, but now she was starting to wonder. Maybe it was better if she went with Byakuya. Maybe all this was a sign telling her to say yes to him. Ichigo __**was**__ her main reason to stay in Karakura. She couldn't help but think that he was pushing her away for some other reason. The whole time he was breaking up with her, his eyes were downturned. Every time she did catch a glimpse of those amber orbs, his words seemed so hollow and meaningless. After a few moments of deliberation she decided she'd go and have one last talk with Ichigo. No matter what he said, Rukia coudn't convince herself to believe that Ichigo truly stopped loving her all of a sudden. His eyes told her a completely different story from the words he spoke._

_She crawled out of the small space and headed downstairs before anyone could stop her. She grabbed her raincoat and headed out the door. She kept fiddling with the ring around her right ring finger, which Ichigo had given her for her birthday. Not being able to stop fidgeting with her hands nervously, she stuck them in her coat pockets. Rukia slowly walked towards the Kurosaki house, not sure about how this talk would turn out. Even if she couldn't have Ichigo as a boyfriend, she'd settle for friends. Her family was here in Karakura, not with Byakuya Kuchiki. Ukitake practically raised her like his own, Renji was the closest thing she had to a brother, and then there was Ichigo. Ichigo, who was her guardian, her best friend, and love of her life. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving the Kurosaki family who she adored to bits. This was her home and unless something absolutely horrible happened, nothing could make her leave._

_Her heart was racing as she came around the corner towards the Kurosaki's house. As she walked along the brick wall and neared the front entrance she heard voices growing louder and louder. She recognized Ichigo's immediately and it sounded unusually tired. The other voice was a female's who she could not place._

_"What is it Inoue?" Rukia heard Ichigo._

_"Renji told me about you and Rukia...and I guess I was wondering if we could go out now?" she asked in her soft voice._

_'What the hell? Renji knew? Go out **now**__?!' Rukia thought. No one had told Renji anything yet. A strong feeling of betrayal raged through her body._

_Wanting to know who this girl was, Rukia grabbed the top of the wall and pulled herself up just high enough so she could peek over the top. She was greeted by the sight of a strawberry blonde girl in school uniform who had her lips pressed against Ichigo's. Both of them were standing in front of the house door alone, and she finally remembered the girl to be Orihime Inoue. Rukia, not being able to hold her position any longer, lowered herself onto the ground again. She pressed her back against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. Rukia was filled with fury and despair. How could he throw everything they had away so quickly._

_Appearing in the entrance of the walls she yelled out, "How could you? Is this really why you wanted to break up? Was it all for her?" Rukia ran before anything else could go wrong. In the distance she could hear the door to the house open, and heard Yuzu's sweet voice ask, "Was that Rukia, brother?"_

_Rukia kept running, trying to keep her inner thoughts at bay. Growing tired she slowed to a walk, and finally sat down on a crooked bench. So Renji knew all along, huh? He knew about Ichigo's plans to break up. Sitting on the bench, she decided what her answer to Byakuya would be. She'd leave this town and all the painful memories. She was so tired. She had loved Ichigo for so many years. Even if they had only made it official only two years before, she had thought that they truly loved each other for years before that. He was her protector. But now, all he did was hurt her. Rukia had always felt a sense of abandonment, and it could never completely fade away. Not unless Ichigo was there because she knew he completely wanted her. Or at least she __**thought**_ _she knew. In life there were so many unknowns, but Rukia believed that what she had with Ichigo was something real. It was the one thing in life that she could count on without a doubt, and now without it, to think that her one hope in life was all a lie. It doused out the fire inside and numbing sensation set in. She sat all alone on a bench in the middle of who knows where with only tormenting memories of betrayal to keep her company. The heaven's opened up and let its tears fall while Rukia's warmth and life slowly drained away._

Rukia felt something cold and wet run down her face as she awoke. As her senses finally returned she realized she had been crying, and she remembered the dream. 'God, not that one again,' she thought with a groan. She hated that dream, no nightmare, with a passion. It forced her to relive that morbid day over and over again. Her body felt so heavy and she barely had the energy to lift the comforter on top of her. She needed coffee, badly. 'Wait...bed? How did I get here?' she thought. A raw and wild smell filled her nose. She bolted upright at the realization that she was not in her apartment.

The sound of a soft snore filled the silence and she peered over the edge of the bed to find Grimmjow. He lying on his side on the floor with a pillow beneath his head. His mouth hung open and his arms and legs were sprawled out in front of him. She struggled to contain her laughter at the sight of him. He almost resembled a sleeping dog in his position. As she pulled on the comforter her bag, which was lying on the bed, fell onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Freeze!" Grimmjow yelled.

"Wow, your a cop 24/7, huh?" Rukia asked while shooting him a quizzical look.

"Oh you're awake. Sorry, you just startled me," Grimmjow's eyes narrowed with suspicion, "Have you been crying?" He pulled himself off the ground and sat down on the bed wiping away at her tears before she could fully comprehend what he was doing. Rukia's face was a clear picture of shock.

"Just a bad dream. Don't worry about it," she replied with a smile. "So what exactly happened last night?"

"Oh well I couldn't find your keys to the apartment so I decided to let you crash here. I felt I would overstep my bounds by undressing you, so I let you sleep in your clothes," he replied, purposely avoiding the subject of her dream due to the melancholic tone in her voice.

"I can't tell you how thankful I am, and how completely sorry I am. You don't deserve the shit people dish out at you," she replied, grabbing his rough hand and placing them in between hers.

'Oh how wrong you are, Kuchiki,' Grimmjow thought, while keeping his facial expression nonchalant.

"Aw, you don't need to be sorry for anything. You look like you need some coffee," he stated with a grin.

"Coffee! You know me so well," she squealed while giving his hand a light squeeze.

"Now go and get cleaned up, I'll be over soon with your cup of joe," he replied while getting up and heading towards the coffee maker.

"Can't wait. I'll leave my door open," she replied. Normally she'd always lock everything up, but she felt safe in Grimmjow's presence. She got out of his bed, grabbed her purse and headed into the apartment. She stripped down and got into the shower in record time, allowing the hot water to cascade down her body, enveloping her in a comforting warmth.

* * *

He poured the coffee into a cup and headed into her apartment. He placed the cup down on her table and slipped a piece of paper underneath. The shower could be heard running and he let a smirk appear on his face for the briefest of moments. 'This is too easy,' Grimmjow thought. His eyes slowly scanned over his surroundings until they fell on the object he was searching out. He walked over to her bag and started to rifle through the content. He grabbed a piece of folded paper and opened it to reveal the wanted picture for Yammy. Just then the shower's noise receded until it stopped altogether. Grimmjow quickly folded up the paper and placed it carefully back into her bag and got out of there.

* * *

Rukia walked out of the misty bathroom clad in a wet towel and immediately smelt the coffee's pleasant aroma. She got dressed and picked up the cup to spot the paper underneath. She unfolded it and read: After you're done, come over and I'll give you a ride.

'God, I do not want to go to work! Ugh...okay...suck it up Rukia. You can get through this. Just pretend nothing happened. Ichigo is _just_ a colleague. Nothing more, nothing less,' she thought to herself. She must have needed the coffee more than she thought since she gulped it down in record timing. It wasn't black as she usually had it. She indulged in the sweetness she had deprived herself of for so many years. She grabbed her bag and headed over to Grimmjow's. She could hear a muffled and deep voice speaking in a tone of great urgency. It was eerily unlike Grimmjow's usual charismatic tone. Deciding not to dwell on the subject too long, she knocked on the door. The last of his murmurs was heard as the call was abruptly ended. The door opened to reveal his charming face, devoid of any sense of urgency or distress.

"Hey, you ready?" he asked, picking up his keys.

"No, but I can't do anything about that," she replied, as they started to walk down her familiar hallway. "Thanks for the coffee."

"No problem. Do me a favor and tell me if he bugs you again, yeah?" he asked, keeping his eyes straight ahead of him.

"I can handle it," she replied in an annoyed tone. One thing she could not stand was when people saw her as weak.

"Don't get me wrong. It's just...I don't like seeing people get hurt. I might not be one to talk, but it really does bother me. Especially when it's you, because you really don't deserve the shit people dish out at you," he replied with a fierce voice.

"You really are a one of a kind Casanova aren't you?" asked Rukia with a grin.

"Why thank you," replied back impishly.

* * *

Ichigo sat with his back slumped against the desk chair. He stared off into space as he contemplated yesterday's events. He managed to hurt a lot of people in one day and then dig himself a deep grave. If that wasn't enough, he pushed himself inside it and could see no way of crawling out.

"Ugh, why do I have to be so...so...-"

"Thoughtless? Asinine? Imprudent? Fatuous?" Renji finished for him.

"Wow I never knew your vocabulary extended past bitch or jackass," Ichigo replied, clearly distraught with how each word fit him perfectly.

"Jac...Asshole. So what if Grimmjow won? We'll get her back, don't worry," Renji replied, while munching down on a box of chocolate chip cookies.

"It's not a game Renji. It's Rukia and right now I have no idea how to get her back," Ichigo replied while reaching for a cookie.

"Get your own!" Renji yelled while slapping Ichigo's hand away. "Tatsuki made it especially for me."

"Brave security girl, Tatsuki?" Ichigo asked. "You guys dating now?"

"Actually, we sort of are. She took me out to lunch, and then one thing led to another," Renji replied sheepishly.

"Wow, aren't you supposed to be the one treating her out to lunch?" Ichigo asked, all the while chuckling.

"Fuck up. She wanted to apologize, so who was I to deny her?" Renji retorted.

Rukia and Grimmjow entered at that moment, and Ichigo's face turned painfully serious. It killed him inside to see her with him. It wasn't because he was jealous. No...no way in hell was he jealous of Grimmjow. He was just protective, that's all. At least that's what he told himself.

"You want to do lunch today?" Grimmjow asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great," she replied, while starting to pull away but he grabbed her arm and gently tugged her back.

"Don't let him get to you, okay?" Grimmjow asked with a ferocious look in his eyes. It almost reminded her of a wolf when it got protective. He grabbed her in for a quick hug, before Rukia pushed him away. She was startled by this new protectiveness. Rukia certainly wasn't used to it. She almost missed it, but after going through life with a "you against the world" mindset, it was pretty hard to rely on others.

Ichigo's knuckles went white as he gripped the arms of his chair. He was itching to run over there, pull Rukia away, punch Grimmjow in the face. How dare he? In Ichigo's eyes, all he saw was that Lothario putting his hands all over Rukia. He could see that Rukia was clearly uncomfortable in her predicament. It was almost reassuring to see her push Grimmjow away. It brought Grimmjow back down to zero, even though Ichigo was somewhere in the negatives. Either way, she didn't want Grimmjow, and that was enough to lighten Ichigo's mood.

**Poor Ichi, and what is that naughty Grimmjow up to? Sorry for the short chapter. I actually was planning on writing a lot more and I did, but now I have to find a way to join the future section with this. I didn't want to crap it up and just fling you into a whole other scene. I'll try to be quick, but school is starting in a few days and I gotta get ready.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I'll be looking forward to them, and I promise on a longer chapter because the next one has a lot of things happening. Hint: You'll finally see what ever became of beloved Ukitake, and you'll find out what is inside that wooden box.**


	8. Making Progress

**My deepest apologies readers. Its been far too long since I've written this story. I'm afraid its the usual excuse of school. I had this chapter all written out and it was just terrible so I edited and redited and rewrote. I finally came up with this piece that was acceptable and I don't think I should tinker with it anymore because I'll go crazy perfectionist on it again and it will be delayed for another month. So voila, do enjoy.**

Making Progress

The atmosphere was eerily silent and cold. Ichigo and Renji were waiting for a raven haired detective to walk into work. Their anticipation was brought to an end when Rukia took her usual seat, and to their surprise actually spoke to Ichigo. Although the conversation was strictly focused on work, at least she was speaking to him.

"So I made the copies of the wanted pictures. I already started to have them be posted up around town," she started.

"Okay. So what do we move onto now?" Ichigo asked scanning through the folders. He decided to act professional in response to Rukia's behavior. If she could get over it, he had no problem with that.

"Well the murderer always seems to leave a mask behind after he finishes the job. I don't know if it would help, but maybe we could track down the manufacturer," she replied.

"Nope, already tried. We had our forensics analysts check it out and the results were a little disturbing. It seems those masks are made of bone," Renji said.

"Bone? What the hell is up with this case?" Ichigo asked, perplexed and revolted at the same time.

"All right well, since we don't have any leads there, maybe we should start going through the victims and asking their families and business partners some questions. There has got to be something in common between them all," Rukia replied, opening up the file and searching through the victims.

"I looked through the victims. They were all generally wealthy, but they range from upper-class businessmen to the mafia. All of them still had their wallets on them and everything, clearly they weren't being targeted for their money. Even more disturbing some of them were found with missing organs. When they did an autopsy they found that who ever was cutting them up was a professional. Ugh! I just don't get this case," Ichigo replied, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. This case was proving to be most difficult.

"Missing organs? Bone masks? This is some sociopath," Renji said while leaning back in his chair, baffled by the information.

"Seems like this one likes to play games. It's almost like-"

"The riddler or the joker!" Renji exclaimed, cutting Rukia off midsentence.

"Shut it Renji," Ichigo groaned.

"No, I think he's right," Rukia said in a hushed tone, almost to herself.

"What?! Look we're not in some cartoon. This guy has a motive and I intend to find out what it is," Ichigo rebuked, while tapping his pen on top of the paperwork.

"No, I mean, he's trying to toy with us. He's placing bone masks over each victim's face in order to shove it in our faces. He's overconfident and loves it. I mean why leave the bodies placed out in the open for the whole world to see? He thinks we're stupid and can't figure it out," Rukia replied in a fierce tone. The more she thought about the case, the more anger that was welling up inside of her.

"Okay so let's see. All these men made a lot of money and worked in some sort of business, except for the random doctor. Yet none of them were robbed of anything. How does this make sense in any way?" Ichigo fumed.

"Wait tell me which hospital the murdered doctor belonged to," Rukia commanded while she rummaged through the case file.

"Um...Yoshino Soma worked in the local Karakura Hospital. Why?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia brought a page and ran her eyes over the sheet and whispered, "Bingo!"

"What?" Renji and Ichigo asked simultaneously. They moved to peak over her shoulder.

"Ryo Udagawa: now deceased. Medical director of Karakura Hospital... Apparently Yoshino Soma was seen arguing with Ryo the day of her murder. So now we have a link between two of our victims," Ichigo replied.

"Why the hospital though? What could they have been arguing about that would lead to their deaths? Renji I need you to go through all the business transactions and associates of the victims starting with Mr. Udagawa," Rukia ordered, not liking the direction things were going towards. Something told her this was a lot bigger than she thought it would be.

"I'm on it. I'll tell you guys if there are any patterns showing up," Renji replied. He rolled across the floor in his chair towards his computer and his fingers went to work at the keyboard.

"Some of the staff and nurses at the hospital said they saw Udagawa and Soma having an arguement. We just need to know what the source of the arguement was," Ichigo replied.

"Not to mention, Udagawa's wife says that she sensed something was up with him," Rukia said.

"Maybe we should go see if she would care to elaborate," he replied while grabbing his keys.

Rukia grabbed her coat and notebook and made her way to the exit, with Ichigo in tow. There minds somehow managed to sync with each other. For the first time since she had come back, they connected. Maybe it was only on a work related level, but nevertheless they connected. Things were finally looking up. A small smile appeared on his face, hoping this was a sign of things to come.

* * *

"So Mrs. Udagawa, its says here that you noticed a change in your husbands behavior?" Rukia inquired while keeping her voice as nonthreatening as she could.

"Yes, he was. I'm sorry but I was already asked all of these questions before, is it really necessary to dredge up all these memories again? My children and I have suffered enough. We just started to move on," she replied distraught with confusion.

Upon hearing the distress lingering the widow's voice, Rukia sought to comfort the woman. "I understand you're confused but we're making progress with the case. We'd greatly appreciate it if you would share just a few more details with us. We want to get your husband's murderer just as badly as you do."

"This serial killer has been out on the loose for months! What makes you think you can catch him now?" Mrs. Udagawa yelled in a strained voice. She was on the brink of breaking down into tears. Ichigo felt disheartened at the sight of the troubled widow knowing they were the cause of it.

"I know how it feels to lose a loved one. My mom died when I was nine," Ichigo replied, hoping to somehow gain the trust of the lady. Rukia shot her gaze in his direction, trying not to let her jaw drop open. Ichigo on the other hand, completely aware of his partner's surprise, ignored it and continued on.

"Yeah, well, your mom wasn't taken away from you! My husband didn't just die in an accident, someone pur...they purposely took him away from us," she said in a wavering voice.

"My mom was killed in a car accident. A drunk driver hit her but she pushed me out of the way. I know you feel alone right now, but you're not the only one going through this hardship," Ichigo replied with compassion.

His eyes were burning with the memories of that painful time. Rukia remembered that glazed look that Ichigo adopted when they were younger. She felt her heart clenching at the familiar sight of a boy who was hurting. He only opened up to her once when they were fifteen on the anniversary of his mother's death. It was a hard time for him and she had finally broken down the last barrier. It was the first time he ever told her how much his mom's death affected him. Rukia could remember that day vividly as she lulled him to sleep. She was shocked by his openness. Never had she known Ichigo Kurosaki to be so candid with his past.

"I...I didn't realize," Mrs. Udagawa replied, her eyes downcast.

"You didn't know. He did time for it and he payed the price. Now you can help us get this murderer and make sure he pays," he replied, hoping the incentive would help her deal with her current turmoil.

"I understand. All I know is that a few weeks before my husband's death, our family had been coming into some money. A lot of money actually..." Mrs. Udagawa started, as Rukia's hand swiftly jotted down the details.

* * *

The doors to Hueco Mundo opened and a man in unusual attire walked in. All eyes were on him, as he walked towards the back, strictly business. Some of the drunks shot him a glare, with his armani suit and shiny black shoes. He certainly wasn't one of the regulars. During daylight hours the usual customers were men who recently got out of jail and decided to get reacquainted with their old buddy, alcohol.

"Hey! You can't go back there!" one of the new bartenders shouted.

"Oh? You must be new," the mysterious man replied threateningly, his hand reached inside his coat. The bartender reached under the counter where a pistol lay, begging to be used.

"Relax, I'm here to see the boss," the man replied, showing a card to him. Upon realizing what was inscribed upon the card, the bartender gasped and bowed his head.

"I'm so s-sorry. He's waiting for you," the bartender replied, scared out of his wits.

"Just don't let it happen again," the armani clad man replied, walking into the back of the club and up to the door all the way in the back. He rapped twice, waiting for an answer.

"Come in," a deep voice replied. The door opened and the man entered, a grin on his face.

The office was big, and a simple black desk was situated by the sole window. All the blinds in the room were pulled down ushering the room into darkness. A single desk lamp was lit and behind the desk was a man. All that could be seen was his torso down, while his face veiled by the darkness. Upon realizing who his guest was the man leaned forward into the light, revealing brown hair and attractive facial features. His expression was serious and ready to do business.

"I've got news for you, Aizen," the suited man replied, taking a seat in front of the boss.

"What is it? I told you to only come here when it is important," Aizen replied, fidgeting with the knife on his desk.

"Seems the detectives are onto one of us. Yammy to be specific, what should we do?" the man replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Yammy is it? What exactly do they have on him?" the brown haired man asked.

"They have a witness and wanted posters are being put up as we speak. He really screwed up this time," the informer replied, a scowl adorned on his face.

"Can we get to the witness?" Aizen asked.

"Nope, he's being put under heavy security and I don't think its worth the risk of getting more of our men involved," Grimmjow replied.

"I'll take care of Yammy and good job. Keep an eye on them Grimmjow. Remember if they catch me, they catch you too!" Aizen replied. His expression stayed the same but the glint in his eyes conveyed a threat. He leaned back into his chair and brought his hands in front of him, fingertips touching. But the blue haired man kept his composure knowing that Aizen needed him.

"Sure thing boss, it won't be too hard. I'll make sure they never catch on to us," he replied, making his way out of the office.

**Yikes, don't hate me! I know, most of you saw it coming, but I had this planned out since the beginning and although I do have a soft spot for Grimmjow, I thought it make the most sense to put him in the double agent position. Its 12:42 AM and I just finished and I hope it isn't too horrible. I tried to squeeze in more storyline as I found myself losing focus on it. Thank you _marislily_ for getting me back on track.**

**I'll try to get the next one out soon and in better condition but I'm afraid I will need some encouragement with reviews or whatever you wish to send my way. My confidence wavers as school keeps draining me of my creative energy. Merci for all the previous reviews, it really did help as I read over them.**


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